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| Date: | Saturday 10 December 1938 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 30 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | K7097 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Iraqi Desert, 60 miles south-west of RAF Habbaniya, Al-Anbar Province -
 Iraq
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Habbaniya, Al-Anbar province, Iraq |
| RAF Ismailia, Egypt |
Blenheim I K7097/P: Written off (destroyed) when crashed in bad weather, 60 miles SW of Ramadi, Iraq. 10/10/1938
While in cruising altitude, the twin engine airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a desert area located about 100 km southwest of Habbaniya. Probable cause: It is believed that the accident was the consequence of a loss of control caused by a carburetor icing. All six crew on board were killed:
Crew_
S/Ldr Percy KINSEY (Signals Officer) RAF killed
Sgt Vernon Walter GARSIDE (pilot) RAF killed
AC1 Reginald Walter CARPENTER (pass.) RAF killed
AC1 Lewis William COOPER (pass.) RAF killed
AC1 Frederick Oscar GAMBLE (pass.) RAF killed
Capt John Barnett HARVEY (pass.) Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, killed
The wreckage of Blenheim K7097 was not found for ten days.
The cause of the crash was presumed to be due to carburettor icing.
According to the official Air Ministry announcement in "Flight" (January 5, 1939 page 12 - see link #5)
"FLYING ACCIDENTS
With reference to the disappearance, on December 10, of an aircraft of No. 30 (Bomber) Squadron, Habbaniya, Iraq, the Air Ministry announces with regret that, after extensive searches, the wreckage of the aircraft has been located about 60 miles from Habbaniya, and the undermentioned personnel have lost their lives: Sqn. Ldr. Percy Kinsey and Capt. John Barnett Harvey, Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders, attached to the Iraq Levies (passengers), Sgt. Vernon Walter Garside (pilot), and A/C1s Reginald Walter Carpenter, Lewis William Cooper, and Frederick Oscar Gamble."
Sources:
1. Air Britain The K File The RAF of the 1930s
2. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Accf1939.htm
3. http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/08613.php
4. http://aircrewremembered.com/blenheim-test.html
5. https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1939/1939%20-%200022.PDF
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Oct-2009 09:49 | JINX | Added |
| 15-Dec-2014 18:30 | Fort Knox | Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Mar-2018 19:26 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Mar-2018 19:27 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Total occupants, ] |
| 22-Mar-2018 02:48 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 06-Oct-2018 06:38 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator, ] |
| 02-Sep-2024 18:43 | Nepa | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Operator, ] |
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