ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 159217
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| Date: | Monday 23 October 1944 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 460 Sqn RAAF |
| Registration: | PB351 |
| MSN: | AR-H2 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Houghton Hall, Norfolk -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Binbrook |
| Essen |
Took off from RAF Binbrook at 16:15
On the return journey from the target the aircraft crashed at approx 20:00 near Bircham Newton, North Wootton, Norfolk, about 4 miles North of Kings Lynn, UK. All the crew were killed with the exception of Flt Sgt Cannon (RAAF) who was injured and survived the crash
A subsequent court of inquiry reported ‘The aircraft was returning from a sortie on the night of 23 October 1944 when it struck cloud up to 20,000 feet in which the icing index was high. The Pilot descended through the cloud on track and hit a tree 70 feet high in Houghton Hall Park. The aircraft was extensively damaged and burnt. The Rear Gunner Bergelin was alive and trapped in the rear turret seriously injured. He died in hospital the same night. The rest of the crew were killed with the exception of Cannon who was unconscious under a tree all night and went unaided to Houghton Hall the next morning. He was admitted to Sick Quarters and recovered. The main cause of the accident was the weather with contributory factors being loss of the ASI and the pilot’s altimeter if static vent frozen
Crew
Pilot: A/422298 Plt Off Denis Richard Garth Richins RAAF - Cambridge City Cemetery Grave 15126
Flight Engineer: 1593402 Sgt Eric Arthur Sunderland - Shipley ( Nab Wood) Cemetery Section U Grave 302
Navigator: A/427818 Flt Sgt Kenneth Thomas Frankish RAAF - Cambridge City Cemetery Grave 15124
Bomb Aimer: A/421764 Flt Sgt Wren Stobo RAAF - Cambridge City Cemetery Grave 15125
Wireless Operator: A/421524 WO John Richings Treloar RAAF - Cambridge City Cemetery Grave 15123
Air Gunner: A/431006 Flt Sgt John George Cannon RAAF - Injured
Air Gunner: A/428900 Flt Sgt Rupert William Bergelin RAAF - Cambridge City Cemetery Grave 15122
Sources:
460 Squadron RAAF World War 2 Fatalities - Alan Storr
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 2 December 1943 | LM316 | 460 Sqn RAAF | 8 | Kleinmachnow, Brandenburg (close to the Machnower See) |  |
w/o |
| 13 June 1944 | ME785 | 460 Sqn RAAF | 7 | near Wesepe, Overijssel |  |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Aug-2013 16:59 | JINX | Added |
| 04-Jun-2015 08:02 | INV | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 17-Feb-2022 15:57 | Anon. | Updated [Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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