Country
code

Pembrokeshire

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland MR.5 off Milford Haven: 7 killed

Date & Time: Mar 3, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
NJ267
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
Just after takeoff, while climbing, the seaplane nose down, hit the water surface and crashed upside down, broken in two. Quickly on the scene, rescuers were able to evacuate four people while seven others, including four members of the crew, were killed.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland GR.5 off Pembroke Dock

Date & Time: Feb 23, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
NJ180
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Pembroke Dock - Pembroke Dock
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Hit a buoy while landing off Pembroke Dock. There were no casualties but the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Collision with a buoy upon landing.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland MR.5 into Angle Bay

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RN290
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local training sortie when an engine caught fire in flight. The pilot-in-command attempted an emergency landing in Angle Bay but the airplane touchdown hard, causing a float to be sheared off. The aircraft came to a halt in flames. While all six crew members were able to evacuate the cabin and were uninjured, the airplane was destroyed by fire.
Probable cause:
Engine fire in flight.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-40-DL near Haverfordwest: 1 killed

Date & Time: Nov 5, 1943
Operator:
Registration:
42-24018
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
9880
YOM:
1943
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances some 13 miles northeast of Haverfordwest, Wales. The crew Richard Jack Burr was killed in the accident.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24A-CO Liberator at RAF Talbenny: 11 killed

Date & Time: Jan 29, 1943 at 1030 LT
Operator:
Registration:
AM913
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Casablanca – Gibraltar – Talbenny
MSN:
4
YOM:
1940
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
15
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Casablanca on a flight to RAF Talbenny with an intermediate stop at RAF Gibraltar-North Front. While descending to the destination airport, the engine n°4 caught fire. The fire was intense, causing the engine to detach and to fall into the sea. Shortly later, the engine n°3 failed. On final approach, control was lost and the airplane crashed on a hill located near the airbase. A crew member and 10 passengers were killed while 8 other occupants were injured. The airplane was destroyed.
Crew:
F/O Kenneth Charles Robert Maskell, copilot +3
Passengers:
Br Vivian Dykes,
Br Guy Milton Stewart.
Probable cause:
Intense fire in the n°4 engine nacelle. Since the entire assembly parted with A/C and fell into the sea, the exact origin of the fire could not be ascertained. It was probably located between the engine back plate and the oil tank bulkhead.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24D-5-CO Liberator in Ambleston: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 3, 1943
Operator:
Registration:
41-23771
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Shipdham - Shipdham
MSN:
566
YOM:
1942
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Shipdham on an operation to Saint-Nazaire. While returning to base, it ran out of fuel and crash landed near Ambleston and was destroyed. All 10 crew members were rescued, some were injured. The copilot died five days later from injuries sustained.
Crew:
1st Lt R. L. Hilliard, pilot,
2nd Lt Dale K. Canfield, copilot, †
2nd Lt W. T. Auston,
2nd Lt L. A. Fries,
T/Sgt R. Schweyer,
T/Sgt R. C. Ernst,
Sgt P. H. Tritschler,
S/Sgt J. A. Romeo,
Sgt H. J. Malone,
Sgt J. R. Young.
Probable cause:
Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24D Liberator in Dreenhill: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 3, 1943
Operator:
Registration:
41-23806
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Shipdham - Shipdham
MSN:
601
YOM:
1942
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Shipdham on an operation in Saint-Nazaire. While returning to base, it ran out of fuel and crashed in Dreenhill, southwest of Haverfordwest. Three crew members were killed and seven others were injured.
Crew:
1st Lt Thomas Gerald Deavenport, †
1st Lt Roy B. Erwin Jr., †
2nd Lt Clark E. Swanson, †
2nd Lt J. J Gavin,
S/Sgt H. V. Simmons,
S/Sgt T. A. Laskowski,
Sgt D. O. Perry,
Sgt L. O. McCarthy,
Sgt G. L. Kelsey,
Sgt R. J. Reasoner.
Probable cause:
Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC near Movil: 2 killed

Date & Time: Dec 29, 1942 at 2300 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
R1174
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Westcott - Westcott
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The crew departed RAF Westcott in the afternoon on a cross country navigation exercise. While overflying Wales, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. While flying in clouds at night, the pilot ordered his crew to bail out when the airplane went out of control and crashed near Movil. Three crew parachuted to safety and two others were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Francis Robert William Henderson, pilot, †
Sgt F. W. R. Cumpsty, navigator,
Sgt Frank Henri Sherriff, wireless operator, †
Sgt H. A. Gillies, air gunner,
Sgt W. Wright, air gunner.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I off Tenby: 7 killed

Date & Time: Dec 7, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ED322
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Holme-on-Spalding-Moor - Carew Cheriton
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
While on approach to RAF Carew Cheriton, the airplane went out of control and crashed in the Carmarthen Bay off Tenby. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Howard Earl Dabbs, pilot,
Sgt James Hughes, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Robert Gordon Smith, observer,
F/Sgt Leonard Roy Anderson,
F/Sgt Stefan Franchuk,
F/Sgt Robert John Middleton, wireless operator,
Sgt William Thomas Warren, air gunner.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland III off Saint Annes Head

Date & Time: Nov 25, 1942 at 1530 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
DV972
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The seaplane was engaged in a bombing practice mission. While dropping a depth charge into a suspected minefield off Trevose Head, Cornwall, the force of the explosion caused multiple damage to the starboard float, aileron and elevator as well a several holes in the hull and wings. In such conditions, the crew decided to ditch the airplane some 60 km off Saint Annes Head. All nine crew members found refuse in dinghies and the airplane sank five minutes after landing.
Probable cause:
Emergency landing in sea after being damaged by debris following a bombing practice flight.