Date:	Thursday 17 June 1954
Time:	12:30
Type:	English Electric Canberra B Mk 2
Owner/operator:	27 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WJ579
MSN:	HP.166B
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Eastnor, 1 mile south-east of Ledbury, Herefordshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire (SQZ/EGXP)
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
EE Canberra B.Mk.2 WJ579: Built by Handley Page at Radlett, Hertfordshire. Awaiting collection 30/6/53, delivered 8/7/53. RAF operational service was with 27 Squadron, RAF at Scampton, Lincolnshire

Written off 17/6/1954: Dived into the ground at Eastnor, 1 mile South East of Ledbury, Herefordshire. The aircraft was seen at an altitude of around 38,000 feet, and was then seen to roll to starboard, and begin to lose height - slowly at first, but then increasingly quickly. It was lost to sight by eyewitnesses at around 24,000 feet, but reappeared through cloud at around 2,000 feet, and dived towards the ground

Cause of crash presumed to be anoxia (oxygen starvation) of the crew at high altitude. This may have been due to an error by the pilot, caused by fatigue, when he mis-managed the oxygen supply controls.
Crew of Canberra WJ579:
F/Sgt Victor Mansell Parker (pilot) RAF: killed
F/O (4067539) Geoffrey Brian Ricketts (nav.) RAF: killed
F/O Macallister Cooper Erskine (nav./bomb aimer) RAF: killed

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.159 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 61)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.64
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/214: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424335
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WJ
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastnor,_Herefordshire .

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-Jun-2008 15:03	JINX	Added
17-Jun-2008 10:36	JINX	Updated
08-Apr-2013 16:31	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
09-Apr-2014 17:39	billmoss	Updated [Time]
12-Nov-2018 17:51	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
08-Jan-2020 21:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
08-Jan-2020 22:48	stehlik49	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator]
12-Apr-2020 21:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Source, Narrative]
13-Apr-2020 19:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]