Mountains | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 1820LT on October 1st on an operation to Karlsruhe. While returning to base the following night, it passed over the United Kingdom aynd was eventually abandoned by the crew over the Glendowan Mountains in Ireland. All four crew members were rescued and interned.
Crew:
Sgt H. J. Newby,
Sgt F. W. Tisdall,
Sgt J. Wakelin,
Sgt D. Reid.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V at Danby Head: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 30, 1941 at 0355 LT

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

Z6871

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Topcliffe - Topcliffe

MSN:

2212

YOM:

1941

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The airplane departed RAF Topcliffe at 1853LT on September 29 on an operation to Stettin. While returning to base the following night, it crashed on high ground at 1,400 feet at Danby Head, some 10 miles north of Kirkbymoorside. The pilot was killed and five others were injured.
Crew:
Sgt Donald Kyle Kibbe, pilot, †
P/O D. B. Delany,
Sgt C. Miller,
Sgt R. Gayler,
Sgt P. L. N. Trehearn,
Sgt C. Carr.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC near Sondrio: 6 killed

Date & Time: Sep 29, 1941 at 0208 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

R1279

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Honington - Honington

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The airplane departed RAF Honington at 1934LT on September 28 on an operation to Genoa. While returning to base the following night and after passing the area of Milan, it is believed that it was shot down by enemy fire. The crew reported engine problems then the airplane crashed in the Italian Alps, apparently in the region of Sondrio. The wreckage was not found.
Crew:
F/Sgt Walter Stanley Kitson, pilot,
P/O John Roy Freeland, pilot,
Sgt Ronald Gordon Gove, observer,
Sgt James Williamson Lee, wireless operator,
Sgt John Richard Palmer, wireless operator,
Sgt John Alfred McLean, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Bristol 152 Beaufort I near Ashton: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 26, 1941 at 1620 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 152 Beaufort

Operator:

Registration:

W6483

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Saint Eval - Saint Eval

MSN:

9488

YOM:

1940

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Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF St Eval to attack a vessel in the Bay of Biscay. While returning to base in the afternoon, the crew encountered poor visibility when the airplane impact the slope of the Tregonning Hill near Ashton. The airplane was totally destroyed by impact forces and all four crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O James Richards Harrison, pilot,
P/O Paul Francis Opperman, observer,
Sgt Harold Leslie Carter, wireless operator,
Sgt Dennis Albert Ryder, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Ford 5 near Pojo: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 26, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Ford 5

Operator:

Compañía Aramayo de Minas

Registration:

CB-CAM-2

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Executive/Corporate/Business

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

5-AT-080

YOM:

1929

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The airplane suffered an engine failure in flight and crashed in the Challhuani Mountain Range, near the village of Pojo. All eight occupants were killed, among them Major William Brooks, pilot.

Probable cause:

Engine failure in flight.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I near Yale: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 21, 1941 at 1720 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 652 Anson

Operator:

Registration:

N9818

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

McLeod – Patricia Bay

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The twin engine airplane departed McLeod on a ferry flight to Patricia Bay (Victoria) on behalf of the Western Air Command. While cruising northwest of Yale, BC, the airplane impacted the slope of a mountain and was destroyed. All three crew members were killed.
Crew (32th OTU):
P/O L. W. Brooks, pilot,
Sgt L.P. Bretland,
D. B. Hartley.

Final Report:

Crash of a Junkers JU.88D-1 near Rødding: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 20, 1941 at 1730 LT

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.88

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

1301

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The crew was completing a navigation training exercise when he encountered poor visibility due to fog. Too low, the airplane impacted the slope of a hill and crashed near Rødding. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Uffz Otto Harbich, pilot,
Gefr Heinz Schlegel, student pilot,
Oblt Hans-Helmuth Thiele, observer,
Ogefr Otto Freund, radio operator.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I near Fort Benton

Date & Time: Sep 17, 1941 at 1900 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 652 Anson

Operator:

Registration:

6059

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Claresholm – Manyberries

Location:

Fort Benton

Montana

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

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Captain / Total flying hours:

102

Captain / Total hours on type:

50.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

Copilot / Total hours on type:

Aircraft flight hours:

895

Circumstances:

The crew departed Claresholm Airport on a navigation exercise to Manyberries, southeast Alberta. On the return leg, the crew got lost. As the airplane ran out of fuel at dusk over hilly country, the crew abandoned the airplane that entered a dive and crashed near Fort Benton, Montana. Both crew members were slightly injured.
Crew:
LAC J. D. Warbritton, pilot,
LAC T. D. Kelley, pilot.

Probable cause:

The crew became lost due to incorrect methods of pilot navigation.

Final Report:

Crash of a Heinkel He.111 in Jetřichovice: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 13, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Heinkel He.111

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

4436

Location:

Jetřichovice

Ústí nad Labem Region (Ústecký kraj)

Country:

Czech Republic

Region:

Europe

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Circumstances:

While cruising in poor weather conditions, the airplane impacted the slope of a rocky mountain located northeast of Jetřichovice and crashed, bursting into flames. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Uffz Emil Samorski,
Fw Helmut Hertal,
Uffz August Moormann,
Uffz Bernhard Friedrich.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.