ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 202816
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 24 April 1942 |
| Time: | 07:01 |
| Type: |  Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk V |
| Owner/operator: | 51 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | BD190 |
| MSN: | MH-J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Hellifield 9 miles WNW of Skipton Yorkshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Dishforth |
The crew bombed the target area at 02.23hrs and made for home. Flying in cloud the crew were unsure of their position as they crossed the coastline and while they had just enough fuel to make a safe landing at an airfield in Yorkshire the fuel was running low. The crew requested that they be given a priority landing using the Linton on Ouse beam but also that they be given a course to turn on to. It was thought that the aircraft turned onto the beam but 180' the wrong direction and by the time they realied the error they had flown out of range of the airfield with the remaining fuel left in the tanks. With the fuel running out the pilot made a wheels-down forced landing in a field near Hellifield at 07:01 on 24th April 1942 and as the aircraft was going to over run the field the wheels were retracted to stop the aircraft. The four crew escaped injury. The aircraft must have received pretty serious damage as it appears not to have been repaired following this incident, possibly as Whitley's were being fazed out of front line bomber squadron use
Crew
Pilot: 403480 F/Lt Cyril Patrick Towsey MiD RNZAF.
Observer: r/71724 Flt Sgt Roderick John Heather RCAF
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 1056077 Sgt Ernest Raymond Mitchell
Air Gunner: 967166 Sgt David Burgess Ross
Sources:
Aircraft Accidents in Yorkshire
Bomber Command Losses 1942.
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 31 October 1941 | Z9141 | 51 Sqn RAF | 5 | near Eendrachtweg, De Cocksdorp, Texel, Noord-Holland |  |
w/o |
| 21 January 1942 | Z9311 | 51 Sqn RAF | 5 | North Sea 40 km W of Terschelling, Friesland | |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Dec-2017 13:37 | Red Dragon | Added |
| 06-Nov-2018 19:44 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Phase, Destination airport, Operator] |
| 01-Mar-2019 17:42 | stehlik49 | Updated [Aircraft type] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation