ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 25002
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| Date: | Wednesday 17 March 1948 |
| Time: | 09:47 |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington T Mk X |
| Owner/operator: | 1 ANS RAF |
| Registration: | RP499 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | north of RAF Topcliffe, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Topcliffe, Thirsk, North Yorkshire |
| RAF Topcliffe, Thirsk, North Yorkshire |
On the morning of 17th March 1948, a number of airmen of No.1 Air Navigation School, RAF, were undertaking training exercises in two separate aircraft. Both were Vickers Wellington T. Mk10s. At 09.47 hours one Wellington (RP565) had just taken off and was climbing away to join the circuit in a left-hand turn. Another Wellington (RP499) was descending to join the circuit and was probably making a banked left turn. The two aircraft collided just north of the airfield and both aircraft broke up in the air.
A large part of one landed on the Sgt's Mess inside the Camp and a large part of the other crashed into a field a few hundred yards away. The Mess sustained serious damage to it but there were no casualties on the ground. Sadly, all eight airmen (four on each aircraft) were killed in the incident. Apart from the pilots, their names however have not been traced to actually who was on which aircraft as the station record of this was not completed. Which aircraft hit the mess is also not 100% confirmed.
The accident was put down to neither aircraft's pilot being able to see the other. Hereafter, it was recommended that the seat next to the pilot should be occupied so that there could be a lookout on the blind (right) side. This was a known Wellington quirk but was not looked at during Wartime flying.
Pilot (of RP499) - F/Lt Franciszek Kula MM RAF (P/2204) originally from W.Bukowiec, Poland. Buried Newark Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.
Pilot (of RP565) - Pilot II Colin Bass RAF (1603236) of High Wycombe, Bucks. Buried West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
On the night of 28th / 29th August 1942 Sgt Kula (P/782693) was flying in Wellington Z1460 on Ops to Saarbrucken and the aircraft was badly damaged by enemy night-fighters and was on fire when the pilot (F/Lt Tadeusz Czolowski) ordered the crew to bail out over Belgium. Only three of the crew complied, Sgt Kula and the other two (Sgt Cwiklinski and P/O Alexandrowicz) landed near Braine-l'Alleud and were captured. The two pilots remained on the aircraft as their rear gunner had been seriously injured and they were to attempt to land the aircraft to save his life. The fire on board the aircraft was put out and the belief is that they crossed the English Channel and landed safely at Manston however the gunner had sadly died. Of the three who bailed out; two became Pow's while Sgt Kula was able to evade capture and return to England in October 1942. For his actions in evading capture, he was awarded the UK Military Medal.
His flying hours at his death show that he had flown for some time although at just shy of 600 hours on the Wellington with a further 500 hours on other types this suggests he had some Wartime flying experience. As well as being buried at Newark he is commemorated on a memorial plaque in Tivetshall St. Mary, Norfolk
The other six airmen were....
Signaller II Walter Ernest Leslie Howell RAF (1023588) of Bargoed, Glamorgan. Buried Bedwellty Churchyard, Bargoed, Monmouthshire.
Signaller II Arthur Edward Highman RAF (1333571) of Peckham, London. Buried Norwood Cemetery, West Norwood, London.
F/Lt William James Jones RAF (153310) of Lambeth, London. Buried Topcliffe Cemetery, Yorkshire.
F/Lt Robert Sneddon Laird RAF (149193) of Falkirk, Stirlingshire. Buried Bo'ness Cemetery, West Lothian.
F/Lt Harry Corelius New RAF (165262) of Smethwick, Staffordshire. Buried Uplands Cemetery, Smethwick, Staffordshire.
F/Lt John Edge Kerslake RAF (182652) of Rainworth, Nottinghamshire. Buried Topcliffe Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Sources:
1. https://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?126972-Post-war-Wellington-accidents
2. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/yorksother/rp565.html
3. https://clan-davies.kiwitrees.net/individual.php?pid=I8765&ged=DFT2006c.ged
4. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-vickers-619-wellington-x-raf-topcliffe-4-killed-0
5. https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/des-witnessed-fatal-crash-wellington-bomber-raf/story-25989944-detail/story.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 06-Jan-2015 21:33 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Apr-2015 20:05 | Don Diego | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 25-Apr-2017 00:03 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 13-Nov-2019 19:59 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source] |
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