Flight | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

En route from Kherson to Kerch, the airplane was shot down by enemy fire and crashed in Kirovske. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Lt Heinrich Bartling, pilot,
Uffz Josef Zenger, observer,
Uffz Erich Herbst, radio operator,
Uffz Hans Sons, mechanic,
Ogfr Anton Theimer, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson III off Texel Island: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 8, 1942 at 0426 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

V8981

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Bircham Newton - Bircham Newton

MSN:

414-2525

YOM:

1941

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The airplane departed RAF Bircham Newton on a maritime patrol flight. While cruising along the Dutch coast, it was shot down by the German Marine Flak and crashed into the sea some 10 km off Texel Island. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt W. G. J. Jansen, pilot,
Sgt H. A. P. Vos, observer,
Lac B. Koehl, wireless operator,
Cpl K. van Klaveren, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Marine Flak.

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson V in Den Helder: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 8, 1942 at 0355 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

AM683

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

North Coates - North Coates

MSN:

414-2465

YOM:

1941

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The airplane departed RAF North Coates at 0118LT on a maritime patrol flight. While cruising along the Dutch coast, it was shot down by the German Marine Flak and crashed in Den Helder. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
W/O Charles John Wyllie, pilot,
F/Sgt Alexander Taylor Thompson, pilot,
Sgt William Robertson MacLeod, wireless operator,
Sgt William John Rowe, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Marine Flak.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I in Holm: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 8, 1942 at 0254 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AE389

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Schedule:

Waddington - Waddington

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The airplane departed RAF Waddington to lay mines in the Forgetmenots area. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Holm. Three crew members were killed and a fourth became PoW.
Crew:
P/O Melville Forbes Carson, pilot,
Sgt Graham Colin Williams, navigator, †
F/Sgt Alexander Scouler Urquhart, wireless operator, †
Sgt William Albert McDonnell, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Beckingham: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 8, 1942 at 0250 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

Z1161

Flight Phase:

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Schedule:

Moreton-in-Marsh - Moreton-in-Marsh

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The airplane departed Moreton-in-Marsh on a night training sortie. En route, the right engine caught fire. Three crew were able to bail out just before the airplane crashed into trees. Three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Robert Isaac Hart, pilot,
Sgt Lawrence Joseph Tighe, bomb aimer,
Sgt Ian McNaughton Fergusson, air gunner, †
Sgt P. W. S. Brooke,
Sgt Hermann Heinrich Julius Rohrlach, †
Sgt Willoughby Lloyd Williams. †

Probable cause:

The right engine caught fire in flight.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III off Fanø Island: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 8, 1942 at 0125 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 417 Wellington III

Operator:

Registration:

Z1564

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Feltwell - Feltwell

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The airplane departed RAF Feltwell at 2210LT on May 7 on a Gardening Operation. It was shot down by the German Marine Flak and crashed into the sea off Fanø Island. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O John Adam Sligo, pilot,
P/O Dennis Percival, observer,
F/Sgt George Richard, wireless operator,
Sgt Maurice Prescott, wireless operator,
Sgt John Collie, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Marine Flak.

Crash of a Douglas A-20A Havoc off Ketron Island: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 8, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Douglas A-20 Havoc/DB-7 Boston

Operator:

Registration:

40-3143

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Location:

Ketron Island

Washington

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

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The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances into the Puget Sound off Ketron Island. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Raymond C. Alexander,
Lt/Col Perry O. Huff,
Cpt Angus Cameron Blair.

Crash of a Lockheed 10A Electra near Nelson: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 7, 1942 at 0822 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed 10 Electra

Operator:

Registration:

ZK-AFE

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Wellington – Nelson

MSN:

1103

YOM:

1937

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While approaching Nelson and flying at an altitude of 5,775 feet in poor weather conditions, the twin engine airplane named 'Kereru' impacted the slope of Mt Richmond located 21 km southeast of Nelson. The airplane disintegrated on impact and all five occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain after a deviation from the prescribed flight path for unknown reasons. Low visibility due to bad weather conditions was considered as a contributory factor.

Crash of a Vickers 424 Wellington IV in Trelon: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 7, 1942 at 0253 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 424 Wellington IV

Operator:

Registration:

Z1413

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Schedule:

Breighton - Breighton

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The airplane departed RAF Breighton at 2130LT on May 6 on an operation to Stuttgart. Passing over France, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in a wooded area named Le Rond Bois, in Trelon. A crew member was killed and five others became PoW.
Crew:
F/O William Joseph Kennedy, pilot, †
P/O Ian Frederick Keys, pilot,
P/O Henry Roland Train, observer,
Sgt Selwyn Hamilton Sharp, bomb aimer,
Sgt Jack Mitchell Stephenson, wireless operator,
P/O Roderick Roland Ferry, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot downy a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Siefersheim: 2 killed

Date & Time: May 7, 1942 at 0158 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 417 Wellington III

Operator:

Registration:

X3591

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Schedule:

Marham - Marham

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The airplane departed RAF Marham at 2141LT on May 6 on an operation to Stuttgart. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Siefersheim. Two crew members were killed and four others became PoW.
Crew:
F/Lt John Arthur Sword, pilot, †
F/O Bertram Henry James Watson, pilot,
F/Sgt Harry Willan Batty, observer, †
Sgt George Sidney Brown, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Thomas Lewis Claude Nickson, air gunner,
F/Sgt Cecil Joseph Haynes, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

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