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Date: | Thursday 12 August 1954 |
Time: | evening |
Type: | English Electric Canberra PR Mk 3 |
Owner/operator: | 540 Sqn RAF |
Registration: | WE149 |
MSN: | 71163 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire, England -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | Initial climb |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | |
Destination airport: | RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire (EGUY) |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:EE Canberra PR.3 WE149: Delivered 6/10/53. RAF Service was with 540 Squadron, RAF only.
Written off 12/8/1954: The aircraft had been diverted to Scotland on its return from continental Europe. The incident took place in the early evening and in good visibility. WE149 was returning to base, and was seen to be on final approach to RAF Wyton at an altitude that seemed to be lower than normal. The pilot then called to say that he was going to overshoot the approach, and the Canberra was seen to be climbing away with the undercarriage lowered.
The Canberra then passed the Air Control Tower at an altitude if approximately 200 feet. The nose then rose up, the aircraft rolled to starboard, and dived into the ground almost inverted. Possible failure of fuel transfer valve after take-off. Aircraft seen crashed facing the beginning of runway. Both crew were killed. One of them was scheduled to be married on 24 August 1954
Crew of Canberra WE149:
Flight Lieutenant John Albert Ridley RAF (pilot, aged 24)
Flight Lieutenant William Robert Suffern (navigator, aged 25)
Sources:
1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.161 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985 p.21)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.81
4.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._540_Squadron_RAF#Post-war 5.
http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VT 6.
http://www.ukserials.com/prodlists.php?type=989 Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
03-Jun-2008 23:36 |
JINX |
Added |
12-Jan-2012 12:51 |
Nepa |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
04-Apr-2013 00:01 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
22-Oct-2013 18:26 |
Fernandez |
Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative] |
13-Jul-2014 16:04 |
HB |
Updated [Location] |
18-Apr-2020 20:37 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
18-Apr-2020 20:41 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Source] |