Date:	Thursday 24 June 1954
Time:	day
Type:	English Electric Canberra B Mk 2
Owner/operator:	RAF Flying College
Registration:	WH639
MSN:	71111
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	2.5 miles SW of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Manby, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Canberra WH639: Notified as awaiting collection 25/9/52, and delivered 3/10/52. Sole operation RAF service was with the RAF Flying College at Manby, Lincolnshire.

Written off 24/6/1954 when broke up in flight 2.5 miles South-West of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The aircraft was seen to break up whilst flying at high speed at about 10,000 feet. The cause of the structural failure could not be determined although various theories were put forward by the Board of Inquiry.

Both crew were killed:
Gp/Capt Richard Thomas Fairfax Gates DFC AFC (Pilot) RAF - killed
F/Lt Peter Oliver (Navigator) RAF - killed

Canberra WH639 was formally struck off charge as Cat.5(scrap) on 12/7/54

The crew are remembered on a memorial at Warmsworth Primary School where the rear fuselage came down. See source 8 below.

A summary of the AIB report can be found at source 9.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.160 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 51)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.67
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/218: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424339
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WH
6. http://www.ukserials.com/prodlists.php?type=989
7. http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/07117.php
8. https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/109136
9. https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york54/wh639.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Jun-2008 19:18	JINX	Added
04-Apr-2013 19:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
14-Sep-2016 18:29	peter ross	Updated [Date, ]
15-Mar-2018 15:18	Anon.	Updated [Date, ]
10-Jan-2020 23:20	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, ]
10-Jan-2020 23:22	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
13-Apr-2020 21:53	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
18-May-2024 19:01	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Narrative, Operator, ]
14-Jul-2024 19:07	Richard	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
13-Oct-2024 09:36	Richard	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
13-Oct-2024 12:13	Richard	Updated