North Yorkshire | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

On final approach to the RAF Burn, the bomber aircraft was too low. While overflying the city of Selby, the aircraft hit the top of the St James Church and crashed in flames in a residential area along the Portholme Drive. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and post crash fire and several houses were destroyed as well. All seven crew members were killed and eight people on ground as well.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Whernside: 6 killed

Date & Time: Apr 21, 1944

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 417 Wellington III

Operator:

Registration:

BK347

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was engaged in a training exercise on behalf of the 30th OTU. En route, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in Whernside, near Ingleton. A young sergeant was seriously injured while all six other occupants were killed.
Crew:
F/O Ernest Malcolm Barrett, pilot, †
F/L Edward Alderson, copilot, †
Sgt Philip Edwin Lomas, navigator, †
F/O Robert Gerald Campbell Brodie, bombardier, †
Sgt Ronald Charles Holmwood, wireless operator, †
Sgt Norman Skirrow, wireless operator, air gunner, †
Sgt Joseph Marks, wireless operator, air gunner.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II in Osmotherley: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 1944

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Operator:

Registration:

LW334

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crew was performing a training exercise from RAF Topcliffe. In unknown circumstances, aircraft hit the slope of a mountain and was destroyed by impact forces. All six occupants were killed.
Crew (all Canadians citizens):
F/O Joseph P. Lavallee, pilot,
Sgt. Richard G. Kimball, navigator,
F/O Wilfred L. Boisvert, flight engineer,
F/O Walter Phillips, bomb aimer,
W/O George E. Giff, W/Operator,
Sgt. Guy H. Hivon, gunner.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I in Colsterdale: 8 killed

Date & Time: Nov 24, 1943 at 0100 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I

Operator:

Registration:

JB926

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Riccall - Riccall

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew left RAF Riccall on the evening of November 23 for a night training exercise with five other similar aircraft. Shortly after midnight, crew informed ground about severe icing and elected to return when the aircraft went out of control and crashed on a mountain slope locate near Colsterdale. All eight crew members were killed.
Crew (1658th HCU):
Sgt R. E. Bacon, pilot,
F/O H. McCarthy, navigator,
Sgt J. Titterton, flight engineer,
Sgt G. H. Manley, flight engineer,
Sgt B. F. Taylor, wireless operator,
Sgt J. J. MacGilliveray, bomb aimer,
Sgt A. Winton , air gunner,
Sgt D. E. Philips, air gunner.
Source: http://laituk.org/Halifax JB926.htm

Probable cause:

It was found that JB926 had in fact suffered severe structural failure in the air: the port outer wing had broken away, both outer engines had been torn off, as had both the port and starboard elevators. This together with the fact that the port wing tip was badly shattered and showed distinct scoring marks led again to conjecture that their had been some form of collision, either with another aircraft or a balloon cable. Later investigation found that the detached wing tip had almost certainly struck the fuselage of its own aircraft during the break up and the scoring marks had been made by JB926's own aerial wires.

Crash of a Vickers 456 Warwick I in Sleights Moor: 6 killed

Date & Time: Nov 13, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 456 Warwick I

Operator:

Registration:

BV336

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Thornaby - Thornaby

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew left RAF Thornaby at 1640LT to perform an ASR mission off the Dutch coast. As no crew was assisted or evacuated on the North Sea, the crew decided to return to RAF Thornaby and while approaching the British coast, he encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity. While a second Warwick was able to continue its route, BV336 was maybe struck by lightning or suffered turbulence, went out of control and dove into the ground before crashing in a field. All six crew members were killed.
Crew (280th Squadron):
S/L Edgar Andrew Good, pilot,
F/O Willis Wylie Coons, navigator,
F/O Dennis Maurice Stewart, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt William Vernon Crockett, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt Douglas Allan Payton, wireless operator and air gunner,
W/O Henry George Richardson, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Loss of control caused by lightning and turbulence.

Crash of a Vickers 408 Wellington IA in Malton: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jul 16, 1943 at 1150 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 408 Wellington IA

Operator:

Registration:

JA119

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Test

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Skipton-on-Swale - Skipton-on-Swale

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Skipton-on-Swale at 1115LT on a post maintenance test flight. About 35 minutes into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of 12,000 feet over Malton, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent. At a height of about 4,000 feet, it exploded in midair and disintegrated before crashing in an open field located 3 km west of Malton. All six crew members were killed.
Crew (432 Sq):
F/O James Elmer Morris, pilot,
F/Sgt Gordon Brydon Nesbitt, navigator,
F/Sgt Joseph William Campbell, bomb aimer,
Sgt Harold Victor Baldwin, wireless operator,
Lac Thomas Melville Kearns,
F/Sgt Vernon Francis Rector, air gunner.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II at RAF Breighton

Date & Time: Jul 15, 1943 at 2202 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Operator:

Registration:

DT771

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Breighton - Breighton

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Breighton at 2202LT on an operation to the Peugeot factory based in Montbéliard (Sochaux). Due to a faulty airspeed indicator, the pilot tried to abort the takeoff procedure but he was unable to prevent the airplane from crashing beyond the perimeter fence, ending up in a potato field. All seven crew members escaped unhurt.
Crew (78 Sq):
F/O G. Carver, pilot,
Sgt A. Wiltshire, flight engineer,
Sgt S. Wood, navigator,
Sgt E. Allen, bomb aimer,
Sgt R. Saiger, wireless operator,
Sgt R. C. hyde, air gunner,
Sgt H. Clark, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Aborted takeoff due to a faulty airspeed indicator.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Date & Time: Jul 14, 1943 at 0550 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Operator:

Registration:

JD174

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Leeming - Leeming

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Leeming at 0009LT on an operation to Aachen. It was badly shot about by a German fighter and, on return to base, the Halifax with its bomb load intact was abandoned, crashing onto a hillside and exploding at Arden Hall near Kepwick. All parachuted to safety, except the pilot who broke a leg.
Crew (408 Sq):
F/O Donald Thomas Bain, pilot,
Sgt James Joseph Connolly, flight engineer,
Sgt Ernest Henry Wood, navigator,
P/O Philip John Ashworth Madson, bomb aimer,
Sgt George Warburton Acorn, wireless operator,
Sgt John Irvin Labow, air gunner,
Sgt Willard Melvin Halken, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Badly shot about by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II at RAF Leeming

Date & Time: Jul 9, 1943 at 2244 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Operator:

Registration:

JB959

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Leeming - Leeming

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Leeming at 2244LT on an operation to Gelsenkirchen but the airspeed indicator failed and the Halifax crashed as the pilot tried to abandon the takeoff procedure. All seven crew members escaped uninjured.
Crew:
F/Sgt A. R. Grubert, pilot,
Sgt J. G. Herron, flight engineer,
P/O C. L. Carrigan, navigator,
Sgt W. A. McCulloch, bomb aimer,
P/O W. D. Folder, wireless operator,
Sgt R. O. Lumgair, air gunner,
Sgt F. H. Hoyle, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Failure of the airspeed indicator at takeoff.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.63 Halifax V at RAF Leeming

Date & Time: Jun 25, 1943 at 2345 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.63 Halifax V

Operator:

Registration:

DK144

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Leeming - Leeming

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Leeming at 2345LT on an operation to Gelsenkirchen. It crashed almost immediately after developing a swing. Lack of brake pressure prevented the pilot from taking corrective action. There were no injuries among the crew.
Crew:
W/Cdr D. H. Burnside, pilot +6.

Subscribe to North Yorkshire