Date:	Friday 18 January 1946
Time:	10:45
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk X
Owner/operator:	17 OTU RAF
Registration:	LR125
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Hendwr, near Llandrillo, Merionethshire, Wales -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Silverstone, Towcester, Northamptonshire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Description: Took off at 09:50hrs from RAF Silverstone, Towcester, Northamptonshire, for cross-country navigational exercise. Broke up at 10:45hrs, while flying in cloud, and crashed at Hendwr, near Llandrillo, Merionethshire, Wales. It is thought likely that the pitot head froze over, leading to a loss of control. The frozen pitot head meant that the ASI (Air Speed Indicator) was giving incorrect readings, causing the pilot to be unsure of the aircraft's air speed. As a result, the pilot inadvertently allowed to the aircraft's air speed to decline to the pilot where the aircraft stalled, and went out of control.

The pilot put the Wellington into a dive in an attempt to gain air speed, but control was lost, and the aircraft broke apart when the airframe was overstressed

From a contemporary newspaper report (Aberdeen Press and Journal, January 19th 1946):

"Five Killed
The entire crew of five of a Wellington bomber, based at Silverstone, Northamptonshire, lost their lives when their plane crashed in a field at Llandrillo, Monmouthshire, yesterday. The plane did not catch fire, and the cause of the crash is unknown."

All five crew on board killed:
Sgt (1585056) BRUNNING, Norman Charles (Pilot) - RAFVR - killed
Sgt (3033600) BUTLER, Alfred Frederick (Air Gunner) RAFVR - killed
F/O (166725) BUTTON, Geoffrey Sydney (Navigator) RAFVR - killed
Sgt (3025459) CRABB, Lawson Terence (WOp/AG) RAFVR - killed
F/Sgt (572774) KINNAIR, William Spence (Navigator/Air Bomber) RAF - killed

Llandrillo (or, in full, Llandrillo yn Edeirnion) is a small village and community in the Edeirnion area of Denbighshire in Wales, between Bala, and Corwen on the B4401 road. It was historically in the county of Merionethshire. The community includes the hamlets of Cadwst and Pennant.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.24. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. No Landing Place: Guide to Aircraft Crashes in Snowdonia (First Edition. 1985) by Edward Doylerush (ISBN: 9780904597578)
3. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.41
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/28/W2318: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578164
5. 17 Operational Training Unit (OTU) RAF ORB (Operations Record Book) for the period 1-1-44 to 31-10-46: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/659 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4100368
6. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.94: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
7. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/290007
8. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?21140-460118-Unaccounted-Airmen-18-01-1946&styleid=3
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2441985/brunning,-norman-charles/
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2432924/butler,-alfred-frederick/
11. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2655290/button,-geoffrey-sydney/
12. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2948970/crabb,-lawson-terence/
13. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2623794/kinnair,-william-spence/
14. https://silo.tips/download/military-aircraft-crash-sites
15. http://berwynufocrash.blogspot.com/2011/03/fallen-eagles.html
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llandrillo,_Denbighshire

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Apr-2016 10:31	ORD	Added
15-Jan-2017 23:24	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
26-Dec-2017 07:06	Nepa	Updated [Time, Operator, Nature]
03-Nov-2019 03:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
03-Nov-2019 20:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative]
05-Nov-2019 08:51	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Narrative, Operator]
21-Nov-2019 00:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
21-Nov-2019 00:38	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
22-Nov-2020 05:43	angels one five	Updated [Narrative]
01-Jun-2021 23:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
02-Jun-2021 17:14	Sysel	Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator]
22-Jun-2021 22:21	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
25-Jul-2023 19:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Source, Narrative]]