Country
code

North Yorkshire

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II in Selby: 15 killed

Date & Time: May 10, 1944
Operator:
Registration:
JB789
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
15
Circumstances:
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:
Operator:
Registration:
BK347
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
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
Operator:
Registration:
LW334
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
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
Operator:
Registration:
JB926
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Riccall - Riccall
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
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:
Operator:
Registration:
BV336
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Thornaby - Thornaby
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
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 an Avro 652 Anson IA in Tadcaster: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 17, 1943 at 1125 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
EG269
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Jurby - Jurby
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a training sortie from RAF Jurby, Isle of Man. En route, the twin engine hit telegraph wires and flew into the ground some one mile north of Tadcaster. All five crewmen were killed.
Crew (5th AOS):
P/O Harry Rhodes, pilot,
Sgt George Ervin Bleier, observer and navigator,
LAC Peter Geoffrey Wilson, observer and navigator,
Sgt Percy Annetts, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Gerald Henry Charles Watkins, wireless operator and air gunner.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Huntington: 8 killed

Date & Time: Apr 14, 1943 at 1610 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
HZ303
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Leeming - Leeming
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The crew departed RAF Leeming at 1510 on a test flight. One hour later, while flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed into two houses located in the center of Huntington, in the north outskirts of York, bursting into flames. All five crew members as well as three people in the houses were killed.
Crew:
F/O Charles William Gilbert Gray, pilot,
F/O Leslie Alexander Walker, navigator,
Sgt Cyril Marr, bomb aimer,
Sgt Willie Jackson Whittaker, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Robert Ernest Clark, air gunner.
Those killed on the ground were:
Miss Jane Raby Freer,
Mrs Henrietta Morley,
Miss Clara Jane Pickard.
Probable cause:
The aircraft was so badly destroyed that the cause of the loss of control was impossible to determine, although a sudden engine failure or mechanical failure was not ruled out which resulted in the pilot loosing control.

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

Date & Time: Apr 13, 1943 at 1530 LT
Operator:
Registration:
JB914
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Leeming - Leeming
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew departed RAF Leeming at 1315LT on a training exercise. While returning to base at 1530LT, the airplane crashed while trying to land in strong crosswinds. All crew members escaped unhurt.
Crew:
Sgt J. A. Phillips, pilot +4.
Probable cause:
Loss of control due to strong crosswinds.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II at RAF Linton-on-Ouse

Date & Time: Apr 8, 1943 at 2305 LT
Operator:
Registration:
JB857
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse in the evening on an operation to Duisburg. For unknown reasons, the crew was forced to return to base earlier and the airplane crashed upon landing at 2305LT and was damaged beyond repair. All seven crew members escaped uninjured.
Crew:
P/O D. McClelland, pilot,
Sgt E. Ackroyd,
F/Sgt J. W. Beals,
P/O E. E. Tingley,
Sgt E. J. Currie,
Sgt J. R. Brown,
P/O G. C. Stevenson, air gunner.

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

Date & Time: Apr 5, 1943 at 0231 LT
Operator:
Registration:
DT785
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Melbourne - Melbourne
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Melbourne at 2021LT on April 4 on an operation to Kiel. It was badly shot about by a German fighter and on return, an emergency landing was attempted at RAF Thornaby. On final approach, at an altitude of 500 feet, all engines failed and the bomber stalled and crashed in an open field located short of runway. All seven crew members escaped unhurt.
Crew:
Sgt R. C. Williams, pilot,
Sgt W. Laverick,
Sgt J. Hooson,
Sgt S. J. Stone,
Sgt R. G. H. Wray,
Sgt H. C. Redman,
Sgt J. Smith, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Failure of all four engines on final approach after being badly shot about by a German fighter.