Accident Bristol Blenheim Mk IF L8691, Friday 1 December 1939
ASN logo
 
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. You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.

Date:Friday 1 December 1939
Time:10:40
Type:Silhouette image of generic BLEN model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Bristol Blenheim Mk IF
Owner/operator:141 Sqn RAF
Registration: L8691
MSN:
Fatalities:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:near RAF Leuchars, Fife, Scotland -   United Kingdom
Phase: En route
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAF Turnhouse, Lothian
Destination airport:RAF Leuchars, Fife
Narrative:
Blenheim L8691: Took off for a Training flight / RDF exercise. 01/12/1939
Aircraft dived through low cloud and crashed near the boundary of Leuchars airfield during a RDF exercise.
Dived into the ground out of cloud, near RAF Leuchars at 10:40 hrs.
Crew:
P/O (41810) Richard Michael WILLIAMS (pilot) RAF - killed
P/O (41892) Horace George YELLAND (Can. pilot) RAF - killed
AC.2 (627811) Leonard DALE (Wop/AG) RAF - killed
AC.2 (624714) John Cooper HUNT (Wop/AG) RAF - killed

Sources:

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 59)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/1702
3. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16359647
4. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1939a.htm
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2457161/williams,-richard-michael/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2457162/yelland,-horace-george/
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2457116/dale,-leonard/
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2735752/hunt,-john-cooper/
9. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?10566-141-Sq-1-12-1939
10. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail.
11. http://www.gominaki.com/military-history/george-yelland
12. The Winnipeg Tribune, Winnipeg, Canada, Monday, December 4, 1939.
13. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/39360698/

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
28-Apr-2018 21:35 Dr. John Smith Added
26-Sep-2018 12:05 Nepa Updated [Operator, Operator, ]
25-Jun-2019 02:15 Dr. John Smith Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
03-Apr-2020 19:43 Investig Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Operator, ]
15-Jul-2024 12:53 Nepa Updated [Time, Narrative, Operator, ]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2025 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org