Date & Time:
Feb 23, 1943 at 1605 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 429 Wellington VIII
Operator:
Registration:
LA995
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Stornoway - Stornoway
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
6
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Stornoway Airfield at 1450LT on a navigation and consumption exercise. While cruising at an altitude of 1,000 feet north of the St Kilda Archipelago, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions with clouds and rain. In limited visibility, the airplane impacted the slope of a mountain located on the Isle of Soay. SAR operations were initiated but eventually suspended as no trace of the airplane nor the crew was found. Initially, it was believed that the airplane crashed into the sea. In 1978, the wreckage was found on the island. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Ralph Spencer, pilot,
Sgt George Bowman Stewart, pilot,
F/Sgt Vincent Harold Knutson, navigator,
Sgt William Day, wireless operator,
Sgt George Wilfred Turley, air gunner,
Sgt William Victor Charles Alston, air gunner.
Crew:
Sgt Ralph Spencer, pilot,
Sgt George Bowman Stewart, pilot,
F/Sgt Vincent Harold Knutson, navigator,
Sgt William Day, wireless operator,
Sgt George Wilfred Turley, air gunner,
Sgt William Victor Charles Alston, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.
