Flight | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances on the north face of a mountain located northeast of the village of Jitrava. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were injured.
Crew:
Uffz Walter Becker,
Uffz Karl-Heinz Richter,
Uffz Hans Weickert.

Crash of a Douglas B-18A Bolo near Napa: 5 killed

Date & Time: Oct 24, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Douglas B-18 Bolo

Operator:

Registration:

37-498

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

San Rafael – Salt Lake City

MSN:

2498

YOM:

1937

Location:

Napa

California

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route from San Rafael to Salt Lake City, the crew encountered poor visibility due to foggy conditions when the twin engine airplane impacted the slope of the Twin Sisters Peak located 10 km east of Napa. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and all five occupants were killed.
Crew:
T/Sgt Robert M. Kinney,
Cpt Franklin Smith Nelson,
Pfc John W. Phillips,
2nd Lt Eugene W. Sell,
T/Sgt Andrew Zeik.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I at RAF Chelveston

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1941 at 1830 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L1305

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Upwood - Upwood

MSN:

8588

YOM:

1938

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The pilot departed RAF Upwood on a formation training exercise. When the leader ordered the pilot the formation to break, the pilot became disoriented and attempted a forced landing at the partially built airfield of Chelveston. The airplane was damaged beyond repair and the pilot escaped uninjured.
Crew:
Sgt R. S. Trigg, pilot.

Probable cause:

Pilot got disoriented after leaving the formation.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Erwarton

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1941 at 0005 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

Z8792

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Feltwell - Feltwell

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Feltwell at 1815LT on October 22 on an operation to Mannheim. While returning to base, just past midnight, it crash landed in Erwarton, west of Felixstowe. All six crew members were injured.
Crew:
P/O R. F. L. Tong,
Sgt S. Pizzie,
Sgt R. Durham,
Sgt M. Harris,
Sgt Frost,
Sgt A. J. Gillespie.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC into the Irish Sea: 5 killed

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

T2624

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Circumstances:

While on training mission, the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in the Irish Sea. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Frantisek Dittrich, pilot,
Sgt Karel Hurt,
Sgt Otakar Januj,
Sgt Jaroslav Polednik,
Sgt Jaroslav Rolenc.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Werken: 6 killed

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

X9914

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Feltwell - Feltwell

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Feltwell on an operation to Mannheim. Passing over Belgium, it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed in Werken. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Cyril Taylor, pilot,
Sgt Frederick Alexander Spark, pilot,
Sgt Sidney Joseph Lawrence Levack, observer,
Sgt James Roberts, wireless operator,
Sgt William Reid Steele, wireless operator,
Sgt Robert Holtby Tasker, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Douglas A-20A Havoc I at RAF Colerne: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Douglas A-20 Havoc/DB-7 Boston

Operator:

Registration:

BJ496

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Colerne - Colerne

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was engaged in a local training sortie at RAF Colerne. While circling in the vicinity of the airbase, the pilot lost control of the airplane that crashed in a wooded area. The pilot was killed and the second occupant was injured.
Crew:
F/Sgt Eric Vernon Sansom, pilot, †
Sgt C. M. Faircliffe.

Probable cause:

It is believed that the loss of control occurred after the pilot became disoriented.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111H-6 in Lopashino: 5 killed

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Heinkel He.111

Operator:

Registration:

A1+IP

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

4248

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

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Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
Uffz Heinz Wittkamp, pilot,
Uffz Xaver Böck, radio operator,
Fw Max Ziselsberger, bomb aimer,
Gefr Helmut Häusler, air gunner,
Gefr Klaus Petasch, air gunner.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V in Givendale: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 22, 1941 at 2355 LT

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

Z9145

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

2279

YOM:

1941

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

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Circumstances:

The airplane was engaged in a navigation training sortie when it crashed for unknown reasons in Givendale, near Boroughbridge. Three crew members were killed and two others were injured.
Crew:
P/O Anthony Baerlein, pilot, †
Sgt John Lyon Perrin, pilot, †
Sgt Ronald Ernest Sayer, wireless operator, †
Sgt N. A. Farr,
Sgt H. F. Tice.

Crash of a Junkers JU.88A-4 in Woore: 2 killed

Date & Time: Oct 22, 1941 at 2135 LT

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.88

Operator:

Registration:

7T+CH

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

1376

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

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Pax fatalities:

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Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was shot down by a Defiant and a Hurricane then crashed near Woore. Two crew members were killed and two others became PoW.
Crew:
Ofw Herbert Datzert, pilot, †
Gefr Karl Hennemann, observer,
Uffz Josef Kolar, radio operator,
Fw Erich Neukirchen, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by two British fighters.