Yorkshire | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The pilot departed RAF Church Fenton on a night solo training flight. En route, he attempted to bail out for unknown reasons when the airplane dove into the ground and crashed at high speed south of Everingham. The pilot was killed.
Crew:
Sgt Thomas Craig Bramley, pilot.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V off Bridlington

Date & Time: Sep 21, 1941 at 0350 LT

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

Z6827

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Leeming - Leeming

MSN:

2187

YOM:

1941

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The airplane departed RAF Leeming at 1846LT on September 20 on an operation to Berlin. While returning to base the following night, it was ditched into the sea off Bridlington. All five crew members were rescued within an hour.
Crew:
Sgt J. W. Harwood,
P/O M. D. McCarthy,
Sgt G. M. Armstrong,
Sgt R. J. Lewis,
Sgt O. Fitzpatrick.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I in Hutton Moor

Date & Time: Sep 21, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AD923

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

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Schedule:

North Luffenham - North Luffenham

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The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham on the evening of September 20 an operation to Frankfurt. While returning to base the following night, the crew had been diverted away from base due to poor visibility. While trying to find RAF Dishforth, the airplane crash landed on Hutton Moor. All four crew members were rescued.
Crew:
F/O Kingston,
Sgt De Courcy,
Sgt Tod,
Sgt Tobin.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V in Harrogate

Date & Time: Sep 12, 1941 at 0600 LT

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

Z6931

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse

MSN:

2223

YOM:

1941

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The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 2049LT on September 11 on an operation to Warnemünde. While returning to base the following morning, it was abandoned by the crew and crashed near the Majestic Hotel at Harrogate. All five crew members bailed out and were uninjured.
Crew:
P/O G. Lambert,
Sgt Cooper,
Sgt Mott,
Sgt Thompson,
Sgt Cairns.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V near Dent: 2 killed

Date & Time: Aug 23, 1941 at 0141 LT

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

T4234

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Leeming - Leeming

MSN:

1907

YOM:

1940

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The airplane departed RAF Leeming at 2002LT on August 22 on an operation to Le Havre. While returning to base the following night, the airplane impacted the slope of Widdale Fell (2,031 feet) located 2 miles northeast of Dent. Both pilots were killed and three others were injured.
Crew:
Sgt Gordon Fletcher, pilot, †
P/O Kenneth William Liebeck, pilot, †
Sgt L. R. Silver,
Sgt J. M. McLaughlin,
Sgt R. N. Speer.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC at RAF Snaith

Date & Time: Aug 22, 1941 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

T2622

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Snaith - Snaith

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The airplane was engaged in a local training exercise at RAF Snaith. Following a flapless approach, it overshot the runway and crash landed. There were no injuries among the crew.
Crew:
S/L A. B. Olney +5.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I off Bridlington: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 20, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AD907

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Scampton – Scampton

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The airplane departed RAF Scampton at 2110LT on August 19 on an operation to Kiel. The following night, while returning to base, it crashed in unknown circumstances some six miles east of Bridlington. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Ivan Walter Robert Ilsley, pilot,
P/O Richard John Potts, pilot,
Sgt George Dixon Clark, wireless operator,
Sgt Glyn Thomas Shirley, wireless operator.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in York: 2 killed

Date & Time: Feb 3, 1941 at 2105 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L1251

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

Church Fenton - Church Fenton

MSN:

8534

YOM:

1938

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The crew departed RAF Church Fenton on a night training exercise. Approaching York, weather conditions worsened and the visibility was poor due to snow falls. While completing a turn at low height, a wing struck the ground and the airplane crashed in the district of Heworth in York. The aircraft was destroyed and both occupants were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Walter Daunt Kimber, pilot,
Sgt Vernon Mark Foot, wireless operator and air gunner.

Probable cause:

It was later reported that the pilot had limited night flying experience and combined with the poor weather forecast he should not have been permitted to undertake the exercise on this night.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IF in Hurst: 2 killed

Date & Time: Dec 20, 1940

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L1467

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Catterick - Catterick

MSN:

8750

YOM:

1939

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The crew departed RAF Catterick on a training sortie. While descending through clouds, the airplane impacted the slope of a hill located near Hurst. The pilot was killed and the air gunner was seriously injured. Six days after the accident, he died from injuries sustained.
Crew:
Sgt Thomas Norman Wilson, pilot,
P/O George Henry Holmes, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I in Coneysthorpe

Date & Time: Oct 19, 1940

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

L4104

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Scampton – Scampton

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The airplane departed RAF Scampton in the evening of October 18 on an operation to Hamburg. While returning to base the following night, it ran out of fuel and was abandoned by the crew over Coneysthorpe. All four crew members were uninjured.
Crew:
Sgt J. G. Loveluck,
Sgt J. M. Dall,
Sgt F. G. Constable,
Sgt W. K. Thompson.

Probable cause:

Fuel exhaustion.