ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 2076
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| Date: | Saturday 11 September 1937 |
| Time: | 10:45 LT |
| Type: |  Avro Anson Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 233 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | K8778 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Near Belmont Ironstone Mine, Guisborough, North Yorkshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire |
| RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Took off at 06:50 hours from RAF Thornaby for a Home Fleet exercise somewhere in the area of Scotland. The crew carried out their task and made their return south, passing Newcastle just before 10.00 hours, and making their way along the coastline towards the Middlesbrough area. The weather over the North-East at the time was dreadful and it was thought that the navigator had missed the turn inland when over the Tees estuary, because of the poor visibility.
Flying at a height of 750 feet the aircraft passed over Guisborough, which those on the aircraft took to be Greatham. The two towns looked similar from above and in the bad visibility, the mistake could be made. The aircraft flew over Guisborough and ploughed into the hillside near the Belmont Ironstone Mine at 10.45 hours killing all four on board instantly.
Locals had heard the plane fly over them and the engines falling silent in the resulting crash, many of them made their way up onto the moor to try and locate the site which they could not see because of the fog from the valley below. Nothing could be done for the airmen, the locals helped to carry their bodies down off the moor, they were later taken to the Admiral Chandler Hospital where they lay until removal for burial.
An inquest was later held and a verdict of accidental death was returned on all four men. During this inquest it was stated that the captain and navigating officer of the aircraft was P/O Lowden.
Although the captain, it was thought that he had not been the actual pilot at the time of the crash. It was also said that because of the weather and very poor visibility the airmen would take turns to be the pilot.
The aircraft was built to contract 497338/36 by A.V. Roe Ltd at Woodford and delivered directly to 233 Squadron on 25th May 1937. The aircraft sustained Cat W/FA damage in the incident detailed above and was struck off charge with total flying time of 93.40 hours.
Crew:
Pilot Officer Leonard W. Lowden (pilot, aged 21) RAF killed.
Acting Pilot Officer Hugh G McDonald (aged 22) RAF killed.
Acting Pilot Officer David Sorley Munro (aged 19) RAF killed.
AC1 Thomas Douglas (W/op, aged 18) RAF killed.
Sources:
1. Air-Britain The K File The RAF of the 1930s
2. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/preww2/k8778.html
3. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-avro-652-anson-i-guisborough-4-killed
4. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1937.htm
5. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1937/1937%20-%202651.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Feb-2008 02:42 | JINX | Added |
| 18-Mar-2012 17:27 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Jun-2012 11:45 | Nepa | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Jul-2013 21:44 | JINX | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Oct-2015 18:24 | Jixn | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport] |
| 04-Mar-2018 17:56 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Apr-2018 00:00 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Oct-2018 05:50 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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