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Date: | Thursday 8 December 1949 |
Time: | |
Type: | Vickers Wellington Mk X |
Owner/operator: | 201 AFS RAF |
Registration: | PF988 |
MSN: | |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | RAF Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex, England -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | Landing |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire |
Destination airport: | RAF Tangmere, West Sussex |
Narrative:The crew was completing a training flight over The Channel. While flying off the Channel Islands, the crew informed ground about an engine fire. The captain decided to divert to RAF Tangmere for an emergency landing. On final approach, he was unable to lower the gear so the aircraft belly landed, slid for several yards and came to rest in flames.
While all three occupants were uninjured, the aircraft was destroyed by the post impact fire. The student navigator (Stephen Purvis Cawthorne, DFM) rescued the signaller (Sgt G. Burrell) from the burning wreckage. For this act of gallantry, he was awarded the B.E.M (British Empire Medal). All three occupants were injured - pilot thrown out suffering head injuries; Stephen Cawthorne serious hand burns, and Sgt Burrell severe face and hand burns which necessitated lengthy hospital treatment. Sgt Burrell had previously served as a wireless operator/air gunner on Blenheims (114 Sqn UK) and RAF Liberators (215 Sqn Far East) in WW2,
Sources:
1. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
2. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.96. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
3. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.561
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/30/W2474:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578320 5.
http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1940-1949_28.html 6.
https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-vickers-619-wellington-x-raf-tangmere Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
27-Sep-2008 01:00 |
ASN archive |
Added |
01-Sep-2013 20:27 |
JINX |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
27-Apr-2015 19:44 |
ABBA |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Destination airport] |
24-Apr-2017 19:58 |
Dr.John Smith |
Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
07-Dec-2019 15:46 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
08-Dec-2019 17:29 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Operator] |
22-Dec-2019 08:42 |
ProfPaul |
Updated [Narrative] |