ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 201522
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| Date: | Saturday 28 March 1942 |
| Time: | 05:25 |
| Type: |  Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk V |
| Owner/operator: | 51 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | Z9481 |
| MSN: | MH-V |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | High Ground at Great Whernside on Conistone Moor -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Dishforth |
The aircraft took off from RAF Dishforth at 20:29 to bomb St Nazaire in Northern France, because of thick cloud covering the target the crew did not bomb and may have jettisoned their load in The Channel on their return. Over Northern England the wind direction had changed and they drifted too far west, their wireless set had also failed resulting in them having no way of contacting anyone to seek assistance. The navigator (observer) gave the pilot a direction of 035' to follow believing he had worked out their position, however the pilot misunderstood this and set a course of 350' which sent them off in the wrong direction. It is believed they descended through cloud thinking they were more to the east of the Pennines and actually in the Vale of York. The aircraft flew into the ground on the southern flanks of Great Whernside at 05:25 injuring all of the crew. Deep snow was covering the area at the time and the pilot was able to pull the nose of the aircraft up at the very last moment which probably saved his crew from more serious injuries. On crashing both the pilots and the observer were thrown out of the aircraft and into the snow. The aircraft's tail broke off and ended up bending around to rest near the cockpit trapped the gunner upside-down in his turret. The two others were trapped inside and these three were to wait some eleven hours before being freed and taken to hospital. Their injuries must have varied to different degrees; the wireless operator spent a year in hospital but others were to return to flying much sooner.
Crew:-
Pilot : Flight Sergeant Ernest Clow RNZAF NZ/402540
2nd Pilot : Pilot Officer Arthur Scott RAFVR 104501 : Commission Gazetted Saturday 09 August, 1941)
Observer : Sergeant Richard Stanley Ryder RAFVR 1267013
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant William Arthur Jones RAFVR 1256589 [Injured]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant George Fraser 'Sandy' MacKay RAFVR 1007934 [Injured]
Air Gunner : Sergeant Richard Henry Craven RAFVR 800587 (Officer:136047 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 19 January, 1943)
Sources:
Aircraft Accidents in Yorkshire
Bomber Command Losses 1942
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 26 January 1942 | Z9315 | 51 Sqn RAF | 4 | Meppen, Ems, Niedersachsen |  |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Nov-2017 15:30 | Red Dragon | Added |
| 06-Nov-2018 19:46 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Phase, Destination airport, Operator] |
| 01-Mar-2019 17:39 | stehlik49 | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 27-Mar-2024 08:49 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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