Date & Time:
Dec 7, 1942 at 0100 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
BJ657
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
5
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 1659LT on December 6 on an operation to Mannheim. While returning to base in the evening, it is believed that the crew got lost and deviated from the prescribed route to the west over France. The airplane ran out of fuel and crashed in Langonnet, 47 km east northeast of Quimper. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O George Edward Cronk, pilot,
P/O John David James Rodger, navigator,
W/O John Cachia, radio operator,
P/O Ronald Hayes, observer,
F/Sgt David Smith Urquhart, air gunner.
Crew:
P/O George Edward Cronk, pilot,
P/O John David James Rodger, navigator,
W/O John Cachia, radio operator,
P/O Ronald Hayes, observer,
F/Sgt David Smith Urquhart, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Fuel exhaustion.
