Date:	Monday 4 December 1944
Time:	23:14 LT
Type:	Avro Lancaster B Mk I
Owner/operator:	166 Squadron, RAF
Registration:	LM176
MSN:	AS-X
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Brocklesby Park, 1 mile east of RAF Kirmington, Lincolnshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Kirmington, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Kirmington, Lincolnshire

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B Mk. I LM176/AS-X, 166 Squadron, RAF. Destroyed when lost on operational sortie on the evening of 4 December 1944.

Took off from RAF Kirmington, Lincolnshire at 16:24hrs. On the night of 4/5th December 1944 166 Squadron RAF was detailed for an attack on Karlsruhe. On return from the target, the aircraft stalled on approach to the airfield and spun in, exploding in flames and killing all seven crew on board. The Lancaster crashed at Brocklesby Park, near the airfield at 23:14hrs

The 166 Squadron ORB states “X flown by F/O Hanna and crew returned to base and was actually approaching to land when it crashed just short of the airfield in Brocklesby Park, all members of the crew were killed.

The final findings of the court of inquiry were that this accident was due failure of the starboard engines on approach due to fuel starvation because of the incorrect recording of the fuel state of the aircraft at take off. It was further noted that this error was unique within 1 Group and that the attention of all captains of aircraft be drawn to the circumstances of this accident

Crew
Pilot: J/36482 Flying Officer Stanley Roy Hanna RCAF: Killed in action 01-02-1945. Buried at Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery Section H Row D Grave 6.
Flight Engineer: 1867900 Sgt Peter Morris RAFVR: Killed in action 01-02-1945. Buried at Kettering (London Road) Cemetery Row NN Grave 3.
Navigator: J/39324 Fg Off Douglas Studholme Howard RCAF: Killed in action 01-02-1945. Buried at Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery Section H Row D Grave 3.
Bomb Aimer: J/38418 Fg Off Charles Wilbert Macklaier RCAF: Killed in action 01-02-1945. Buried at Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery Section H Row D Grave 7.
Wireless Operator: R/187127 WOII William Peter Wynnyk RCAF: Killed in action 01-02-1945. Buried at Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery Section H Row D Grave 2.
Mid Upper Gunner: R/261453 Flt Sgt William Russell Darling RCAF: Killed in action 01-02-1945. Buried at Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery Section H Row D Grave 4.
Rear Gunner: R/264939 Flt Sgt Cecil Allen Fowler RCAF: Killed in action 01-02-1945. Buried at Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery Section H Row D Grave 5.

Stanley Hanna graduated from No. 9 Service Flying Training School RCAF Centralia with Course 83 in 1943. He was posted with his crew from an unknown unit to 166 Squadron on the 21st October 1944. The six Canadians all rest at the Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery (Harrogate, North Yorkshire) and Sgt Morris is buried at his home town of Kettering in the Kettering London Road Cemetery.

Breif History of Lancaster LM176
Built by Armstrong Whitworth at Baginton, Coventry to contact Acft/239
16-06-1944: Delviered to 166 Sqaudron, RAF Kirmington, Lincolnshire as 'AS-X'
04-12-1944: Sustained Cat.B(FA) as per the above
05-12-1944: Re-Cat E(FA) as "burnt"
15-12-1944: Struck off charge

1. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
2. https://www.northlincsweb.net/RAFElshamWolds/html/4-5th_december_1944_-_166_sqn_raf_kirmington_-_avro_lancaster_ii.html
3. 166 Squadron Oprerational Record Book (Record of Events for 1 to 31 December 1944): National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1089/48 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8436947
4. Aircraft Movement Card (Air Ministry Form AM.78): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-78s/Lancaster/LM160-LM224/mobile/index.html
5. Aircraft Accident Record Card (Air Ministry Form AM.1180): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-1180/Lancaster/1944/December/1.html
6. https://www.bcar.org.uk/new1944-incident-logs#dec
7. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2623686/stanley-roy-hanna/
8. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2949333/peter-morris/
9. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2623739/douglas-studholme-howard/
10. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2623893/charles-wilbert-macklaier/
11. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2624284/william-peter-wynnyk/
12. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2623524/william-russell-darling/
13. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2623606/cecil-allen-fowler/
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._166_Squadron_RAF#History
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brocklesby_Hall
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlsruhe

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Oct-2024 15:01	Anon.	Added
23-Jan-2025 20:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ]