Date:	Saturday 29 September 1951
Time:
Type:	Boeing B-29A-70-BN Washington B.1
Owner/operator:	57 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WF555
MSN:	11721
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Near Amiens, Somme department, Picardy, Hauts-de-France. -   France
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Ex USAF B-29A-70-BN 44-62254: to RAF as Washington B.1 WF555 May 22, 1951. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 29 September 1951: the crew of 57 Squadron B-29 Washington WF555 was tasked to fly on a NATO exercise to test western defences. Flying as a ‘standby’ crew member, F/Lt Stanley Griffiths-Jones joined captain Flt Lt Lang and his crew and flew to the East/West German border, suffering problems with the constant speed unit (CSU) on the inner starboard engine.

On the crews’ return over France the engine "ran-away" and the propeller sheared off and sliced through No 4 engine. The aircraft lost height from about 20,000 feet and on instructions from the skipper, three of the crew Flt. Lt Ford and Flt Lt Allison, together with Air Gunner Stanley Griffiths-Jones bailed out through the bomb doors. All three landed safely and were re-united with rest of the crew unhurt after the plane had safely crash-landed at a disused airfield near Amiens.

The crew was entertained that night by French army officers at a night club and was taken the following day to the British embassy in Paris, where they spent a great week-end, with lots of brandy and beer being consumed to celebrate their good fortune. A French army truck then took them to Soisson from where they were flown by an Avro Anson to RAF Benson to be met by the Waddington Station Commander, Group Capt Gus Walker who had flown down to pick them up and return the crew back to base.

The other members of the crew apart from those mentioned above were Flt Lt Conley (co-pilot), Flt Sgt Martin (navigator), Sgt Holt and Sgt Pringle.

As a result of this adventure Stan became a member of the Caterpillar Club having used an Irvine parachute.

Crew (57 Squadron RAF):
Captain Gus Walker (pilot)
Flight Lieutenant Conley (co-pilot)
Flight Sergeant Martin (navigator)
Sergeant Holt (radar operator)
Sergeant Pringle (Bomb Aimer)
Flight Lieutenant Ford (Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Allison (Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Stanley Griffiths-Jones (Air Gunner)

Cause: Engine failure in flight. The crash of WF555 was one of five that took place during the B-29 Washington's Operational Service with the RAF, and the only one without fatalities. WF555 was formally struck off charge as Cat.5(scrap) on 2 January 1952, and authorised to be reduced to scrap and components.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.117 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p,38)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.182
4. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WF
5. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_4.html
6. http://web.archive.org/web/20160825235412/http://57-630sqnassoc.org.uk/57-1945.html
7. https://rafwatton.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/wash13.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Jun-2008 21:39	JINX	Added
14-Apr-2013 20:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
15-Jun-2017 22:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
15-Jun-2017 22:19	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
15-Jun-2017 22:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Total occupants, Source, Narrative]
15-Jun-2017 22:38	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
07-Nov-2018 18:55	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Operator]
10-Feb-2021 19:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]