Date:	Friday 18 April 1947
Time:	09:48 LT
Type:	Handley Page Halifax Met 6
Owner/operator:	202 Sqn RAF
Registration:	ST807
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Atlantic Ocean, off Shetland Islands at approx. 55.13 N, 12.00 W -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Survey
Departure airport:	RAF Aldergrove (BFS/EGAA)
Destination airport:	RAF Aldergrove (BFS/EGAA)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
On 18 April 1947 Halifax ST807 was tasked for a routine Bismuth sortie into the Atlantic west of Ireland. (A ‘Bismuth’ was a meteorological reconnaissance flight along a triangular track. The first leg was flown at 1,800 feet above sea level, but dropping to 50 feet every 200 nautical miles (nm) to make a special observation. At the end of the first leg (700 nm from base) the aircraft would make a steep climb to 18,000 feet, during which temperatures and weather details would be recorded at standard levels.

At the end of the second leg, which was flown at 18,000 feet, a steep descent was made to sea level, again recording data at regular intervals. The final leg, the return to base, was completed in the same way as the outward leg.)

ST807 took off at about 0730 GMT, but a signal transmitted at 0818 GMT advised it was returning to Aldergrove, as the LORAN was unserviceable. The signal gave the aircraft’s position as 55.13’N 12.00 W.

Nothing more was heard and the aircraft was posted as missing at 09:48 GMT. A search was initiated immediately, the first aircraft taking off at 10:32 GMT. Nothing was found that day, but on the 19th, at 12:22 GMT, a Lancaster of 224 Squadron obtained a radar contact at 55.38’N 09.52’W, unfortunately contact was lost before a visual sighting could be made. During the afternoon a 202 Squadron Halifax made a brief sighting of what was thought to be a dinghy near 55.28’N 09.41’W, but could not keep this in sight due to the extremely rough conditions.

The search continued to be hampered by stormy weather through the 20th and, after a final sortie on 21st April 1947, the search was abandoned. The search operation had been considerable, some 19 aircraft taking part on the 19th as well as two Navy vessels.

It is perhaps worth noting that Bisgood was not piloting the aircraft, but was on board as the Training Captain. The 202 Sqn ORB details an extensive sea and air search in deteriorating conditions over both northwest Ireland and the track WNW from Aldergrove - not north towards the Shetlands. The crew of ST807 was:

Squadron Leader Douglas Leonard Bisgood, RAF Service Number 41896 (Pilot, aged 27)
2nd Pilot John Singer Anderson, RAF Service Number 1567951, aged 24
Flight Lieutenant Donald James McMahon, Service Number 171665, aged 25
Navigator Paul Bramall Higgins, RAF Service Number 3030088
Flight Engineer Ronald Miles, Service Number 1651815, aged 24
Flight Sergeant Albert Alexander Thompson, Service Number 1592565, aged 23
Signaller III Fred Orwin ,Service Number 1452536, aged 22
2nd Flight Engineer Stanley Baldwin, Service Number 1644166, aged 25
2nd Signaller David James, Service Number 577643, aged 23

The book "Final Landings" by Colin Cummings (see link #2) states "lost at Location: 62.00 North/01.00 West" (some distance from where it was last known to be) and the fact that "it was assumed that the pilot lost control of the aircraft, probably at low level" (but this is conjecture). Some wreckage was located in the sea, but may have floated some considerable distance from the actual crash location.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.62. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 - 1949 by Colin Cummings p.292-293
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain 1985 page 14
4. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?573-269-Sqn-Loss-23-7-40-P-O-Appleby
5. http://web.archive.org/web/20170622140941/http://www.202-sqn-assoc.co.uk:80/view-all-requests.html
6. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-handley-page-hp63-halifax-iv-atlantic-ocean-9-killed
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1529847/bisgood,-douglas-leonard/
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1082787/anderson,-john-singer/
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1079654/mcmahon,-donald-james/
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1800069/higgins,-paul-bramall/
11. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1076813/miles,-ronald/
12. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1808695/thompson,-albert-alexander/
13. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1803654/orwin,-fred/
14. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1083249/baldwin,-stanley/
15. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1801057/james,-david/
16. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?1133-Halifax-Ditching-202-Sq-Off-Western-Isles&p=5844#post5844
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._202_Squadron_RAF#Weather_Reconnaissance
18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Helicopter_Command_Flying_Station_Aldergrove#Post_war

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
07-Jun-2010 02:00	TB	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative]
08-Jun-2010 10:14	TB	Updated [Aircraft type]
10-Mar-2013 19:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
11-Mar-2017 01:39	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
28-Oct-2019 00:36	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
30-Oct-2019 22:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative]
30-Oct-2019 22:48	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
18-May-2023 15:08	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Source]]