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Date: | Friday 8 February 1952 |
Time: | |
Type: | Avro Lancaster Mk 10P |
Owner/operator: | Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) |
Registration: | FM218 |
MSN: | 3419 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 6 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | RCAF Goose Bay, Labrador -
Canada
|
Phase: | Take off |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RCAF Goose Bay, Labrador |
Destination airport: | |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Lancaster FM218 of 408 Sqn was tasked to take part in Sundog III - Airborne assault on Fort Chimo. The aircraft had just taken off from RCAF Station Goose Bay when the righthand inboard No. 3 engine failed. The aircraft commenced a turn to starboard and could not be held straight by use of full rudder, aileron and rudder trim. The aircraft eventually stalled and crashed after having turned through 130°. The flight engineer was killed but the remaining crew members survived with injuries, some serious. Parts of the aircraft hit nearby barracks narrowly missing personnel.
Investigators considered that the outboard No. 4 engine may also have failed, causing an abrupt righthand swing. This could have been caused by fuel starvation if the master fuel cock for the failed engine was not switched "OFF" prior to feathering.
Examination of the fuel system controls revealed that the "booster pump” for the tank in use on the righthand side was in the OFF position. If one engine fails, and the electric fuel pump is OFF, air may be drawn back into the main fuel system through the carburettor of the stopped engine, before the master engine cock of the failed engine can be selected OFF, thus causing the other engine on that side to fail. Therefore, at takeoff the pumps in Nos. 1 and 2 tanks must be ON.
Pilot: F/O Bill Neilly (Injured)
Co-plt: S/L JB Coyne (Injured)
Nav: F/O John Mitchell (Injured)
Nav: F/O IK Wilson (Injured)
RO: F/O Doucet (Injured)
FE: Cpl. George Washington Healy (Fatal)
Sources:
1. RCAF Crash Comment, First Quarter 1952 (Pg 5)
2.
http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/08339.php 3.
http://www.forfreedom.ca/?page_id=27 4.
https://stephentaylorhistorian.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/lancaster.pdf (Pg 8, Pt 1(ii))
Images:
Crash site - Goose Bay Labrador - Feb 8, 1952
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
30-Dec-2018 21:03 |
TB |
Added |
30-Dec-2018 21:06 |
TB |
Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport] |
21-Apr-2019 07:45 |
Anon. |
Updated [Photo] |
20-Feb-2022 09:05 |
Cosmo |
Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Source, Narrative] |