Date:	Tuesday 23 August 1949
Time:	02:50
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk X
Owner/operator:	201 AFS RAF
Registration:	NB115
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	nr Norton Disney Hall, 1.5 mi of RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire

Narrative:
The crew was engaged on a training sortie. On final approach, the pilot in command decided to abort and started a go around. He completed a circuit vertical to the terrain and then started a second approach to land. Again, he abandoned this second approach and a third as well few minutes later.

During the third go around maneuver, while at a height of 600 feet, the pilot made a turn to the left to join the approach path but did not realize he lost altitude. By night and low visibility, the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area near Norton Disney Hall, North Kesteven, located 1.5 miles from the airfield. Another aircraft in circuit saw the Wellington's tail light suddenly disappear.
At 02.50, Miss Elizabeth Mary Brown, who lived at Norton Disney Hall, was woken by a loud noise. Her brother, Mr John Richard Brown, who also lived at the Hall, rang RAF Swinderby and was told an aircraft was believed to have crashed. They set out by car with torches and eventually heard a man calling for help. It was the aircraft's navigator, F-O Cox (see below) who was pinned in the wreckage. They also found a second airman but when Miss Brown checked his pulse, he was dead. They gave first-aid to F-O Cox then, seeing torches in the woods, guided an RAF search party to the site. They were credited by the RAF for saving the life of F-O Cox and received a Commendation from Coroner Mr W.P. Pattinson, who recorded 'Accidental Death' verdicts on the two fatally injured aircrew.

Two crew members killed were Sgt George Davies (27), single, of Clodock, Abergavenny, and Pilot-Officer John Albert Hurst (29), a married man, of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Flying-Officer Raymond Cox, aged 25, of West Drayton, near Portsmouth, was seriously injured and taken to Lincoln County Hospital. Investigating officer Sqn-Leader NF Smith said that the pilot apparently tried to maintain a visual contact with the ground and did not refer to the instruments at the time of accident. Sqn-Leader Smith said the actions of Miss and Mr Brown had saved the life of F-O Cox, who'd taken-up a crash position as the aircraft ploughed into trees. It was also ''miraculous'' the aeroplane did not catch fire.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.90. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.524
3. Lincolnshire Echo, Lincolnshire, England 23 Aug 1949
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/29/W2456: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578302
5. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-vickers-619-wellington-x-raf-swinderby-2-killed
6. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1945-1949-incident-logs.php#1949
7. https://www.genesreunited.co.nz/searchbna/results?memberlastsubclass=none&searchhistorykey=0&keywords=raymond%20cox&from=1949&to=1949&type=article_
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Disney

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
02-May-2014 17:52	TB	Updated [Operator, Nature, Damage]
24-Apr-2017 21:01	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
24-Apr-2017 21:01	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type]
23-Oct-2018 20:58	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
09-Nov-2019 21:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative]
04-Dec-2019 17:55	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source]
08-Dec-2019 17:28	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Operator]
20-May-2022 06:17	Anon.	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]