Middleton St George AFB | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The aircraft was on a flight from Middleton St. George to Birmingham, and the crew of one pilot and one photographer planned to complete several photographic survey jobs en route. Shortly after sunset, when flying at 2,000 ft. a.m.s.l. at an estimated position five miles west of Sheffield and near high ground rising to 2,000 ft. a.m.s.l., the pilot decided that the fuel remaining was insufficient to reach Birmingham with the existing headwind of 40 knots. He established contact with Manchester Approach Control and was given permission to divert to Manchester Airport on a special VFR clearance "not above 3,500 ft. a.m.s.l. on a QNH of 1013 mbs., clear of all cloud, and in sight of the surface". Shortly after this, when on a north-westerly heading to intercept a QDM of 270°M to the 'ME' (Manchester) beacon, the pilot saw hill tops about four miles ahead and commenced climbing from 2,000 ft. to 3,500 ft. The pilot states that the aircraft entered cloud at 2,500 ft. and that, on reaching 2,700 ft., he noticed that the vertical speed indicator was showing a descent of 2,000 ft./min. He states that he applied full power and eased the nose up but, after this, he remembers nothing further until he regained consciousness lying on the ground, alongside the photographer in front of the wrecked aircraft.

Probable cause:

Examination at the scene of the accident showed that the aircraft had struck the ground, in a normal cruising attitude and at a low engine power setting, at a point 1,990 ft. a.m.s.l. An aftercast of the weather conditions showed that the cloud base over the hills at the time of the accident probably varied between 1,800 and 3,000 ft. a.m.s.l., the wind at 2,000 to 3,000 ft. was 240°/45-50 knots, and horizontal visibility was 1 1/2-3 n.m. with some turbulence over high ground. "Sigmet" warnings broadcast by Preston A.T.C.C, and in force at the time of the accident, gave warning that locally severe turbulence, up to FL 100 over high ground in the Preston FIR had been forecast. From the information available, however, it was not possible to determine whether significant downdrafts existed in the area where the crash occurred.

Crash of a Vickers 619 Wellington X in Horam: 4 killed

Date & Time: Apr 5, 1950 at 2200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 619 Wellington X

Operator:

Registration:

NC615

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft left RAF Middleton Saint George at 1845LT on a night navigation exercice. At 2137LT, the crew informed ground that the mission was uneventful until this time. Twenty-three minutes later, the aircraft went into a dive. At an altitude of 1,000 feet, it partially disintegrated and eventually crashed in a pasture. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
S. J. Murdoch, pilot,
F/Lt W. A. Ryde, navigator,
F/Lt H. Seiman, navigator,
Sig A. E. Bazen.

Probable cause:

The aircraft broke in flight due to exceptional aerodynamic and other stresses.

Crash of a Vickers 619 Wellington X in RAF Middleton Saint George: 6 killed

Date & Time: Sep 17, 1949

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 619 Wellington X

Operator:

Registration:

NC430

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Demonstration

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George

Location:

Middleton St George AFB

Durham

Country:

United Kingdom

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

During an airshow in RAF Middleton Saint George, the crew was involved in a demonstration mission consisting of para-dropping a low height. On final approach, during the last segment, the airplane nosed down and crashed at runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the technique adopted by the crew to drop the paratroopers was wrong. After the lateral door was closed, it appears that the air flow along the rudder and the elevator changed due to the presence of the paratroopers. This caused the aircraft to adopt a wrong attitude and the response from the crew was inappropriate.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson T.21 in Exhall: 4 killed

Date & Time: Feb 19, 1949 at 0945 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 652 Anson

Operator:

Registration:

VV243

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Middleton St George - Mepal

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising in VFR mode over the region of Coventry at an altitude of 4,500 feet, the Anson collided with a BEA C-47 registered G-AHCW and carrying four crew members and six passengers from Northolt to Glasgow. Following the collision, both aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in Exhall, north of Coventry. All 14 occupants in both aircraft were killed.

Probable cause:

The accident was the result of a midair collision. Since neither aircraft took any apparent avoiding action it must be concluded that the pilot of the Anson did not see the Dakota and that the pilots of the Dakota did not see the Anson. This must be attributed to failure on the part of the captain of each aircraft to ensure the maintenance of an effective lookout.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III off Norderney: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 14, 1943 at 0351 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 417 Wellington III

Operator:

Registration:

BK296

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Middleton Saint George at 0003LT to lay mines off the Frisian Islands. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea some 8 km north of Norderney Island. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Charles Harrison Tidy, pilot,
P/O John Donald MacFarlane, navigator,
Sgt George Robert Douglas Hall, bomb aimer,
Sgt John Alexander Corbett, air gunner,
Sgt Harold Reddy, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Oostvoorne: 1 killed

Date & Time: Mar 12, 1943 at 2226 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 440 Wellington X

Operator:

Registration:

HE690

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George on an operation to Essen. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Oostvoorne. The wireless operator was killed and four other crew members became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt George Henry Cooke, pilot,
Sgt John Morris, navigator,
Sgt Ronald Guy Mercer, bomb aimer,
Sgt Alexander Robertson Dawson, wireless operator, †
Sgt Thomas Steele McKinnon, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Dortmund: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 6, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 440 Wellington X

Operator:

Registration:

HE280

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George

Location:

Dortmund

North Rhine-Westphalia

Country:

Germany

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Middleton Saint George on an operation to Essen. It crashed for unknown reasons in Dortmund, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
P/O Robert Graham, pilot,
F/O Donald Edward Bennett, observer,
F/O James Kenneth MacDonald, observer,
P/O William George Lee, navigator,
F/Sgt Harry Taylor Anderson Lawson, wireless operator,
W/O Donald George Culver, air gunner.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II in Elst: 1 killed

Date & Time: Mar 5, 1943 at 2137 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Operator:

Registration:

DT646

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Middleton Saint George at 1857LT on an operation to Essen. Over the Netherlands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Elst, some 8 km southwest of Arnhem. A crew was killed, one evaded and five others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Leonard Bakewell, pilot,
Sgt Alvin Clinton Turner, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Donald Dennis Scowen, navigator,
F/Sgt Jack Edward Marvel, bomb aimer,
Sgt James Arthur Bennett, wireless operator,
F/Sgt William James Clark, air gunner,
F/Sgt James Robert Couper, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II off Ameland Island: 7 killed

Date & Time: Mar 1, 1943 at 2139 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Operator:

Registration:

DT641

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 1850LT on an operation to Berlin. While cruising along the Frisian Islands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea off Ameland Island. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O Arthur James Herriott, pilot,
Sgt Arthur David Cherkinsky, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Wilfred George Francis, navigator,
F/Sgt Albert Leroy Bateman, bomb aimer,
Sgt James Nicol Gray, wireless operator,
Sgt John Kowalski, air gunner,
F/Sgt Alexander Trevor Woodhouse, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II into the North Sea

Date & Time: Feb 27, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Operator:

Registration:

DT615

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Middleton Saint George at 1825LT to lay mines off the Frisian Islands. It was shot down by the German Flak and later ditched into the North Sea. All seven crew members were rescued 22 hours later by the Navy.
Crew:
Sgt M. F. Gray, pilot,
Sgt C. F. Wilby,
F/Sgt C. O. Hancock,
F/O W. J. McNicol,
Sgt G. H. Low,
Sgt M. S. Braniff,
P/O R. Harling, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Subscribe to Middleton St George AFB