Date:	Saturday 31 January 1948
Time:
Type:	Avro Lancaster B Mk I
Owner/operator:	115 Sqn RAF
Registration:	TW902
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 15
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	2 miles East of Istres-Le Tubé Airbase, Bouches-du-Rhône 13 -   France
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Istres-Le Tubé Airbase, Fr.
Destination airport:	Istres-Le Tubé Airbase, Fr.

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B.1 TW902/'KO-G'. 115 Squadron RAF: Written off (destroyed) 31-1-1948: Caught fire after crash-landing in concrete buildings while attempting a go-around with engine failure.

Shortly after takeoff from Istres-Le Tubé Airbase, the captain was forced to feather the propeller on engine number one because it was running roughly. He elected to return to Istres, initiated a turn and started an approach when he realized he was misaligned with the runway centerline. He increased power on the three remaining engines in an attempt to make a go around when the aircraft stalled and crashed on an abandoned hangar located short of the runway threshold.

Aircraft crashed 2 miles East of Istres, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, killed seven of the sixteen persons on board.

Crew fatalities (all killed 31-1-1948):
Squadron Leader David Thompson Moir DFC (pilot)
Engineer II George Atter (Flight Engineer)
Nav II Graham George Wase Carter (Navigator)
Signaller II John Thomas Walton (Wop/Air Gunner)
Flt Lt Peter Smith
Flt/Sgt Sydney Albert Wallace
AC.2 Ralph Alan Knapp

In addition to the above seven crew fatalities there were another nine persons on board; four were injured, and the other five were unhurt.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.94 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.370
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain 1985 p.54)
4. http://www.sjbradley.com/memorial/viewRecord.php?name=Wallace,%20S
5. https://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?11249-Lancaster-crash-Jan-1948&p=65621#post65621
6. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-avro-683-lancaster-i-istres-7-killed

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Feb-2017 09:24	TB	Added
30-Apr-2023 09:14	Nepa	Updated