Date:	Sunday 15 October 1950
Time:	night
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk X
Owner/operator:	201 AFS RAF
Registration:	RP388
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Other fatalities:	3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
The crew was returning to RAF Swinderby after participating to the night exercise 'Emperor'. The approach was completed jointly with a second RAF Vickers 619 Wellington X registered LP846 and carrying a crew of five as well. On final approach, both aircraft were too close from each other when a red flare was deployed from the control box to declare that the runway was closed (radio silence due to live exercise). The first aircraft gained height hit the second Wellington. Both aircraft stalled and crashed onto the runway, bursting into flames. Two crew members on LP846 were seriously injured while all eight other occupants were killed (three on LP846 and all five on RP388). According to the following reports:

"I was a navigator going through the Wellington course at RAF Swinderby with my student pilot. We were flying in Wellington X PF926 on Exercise "EMPEROR", and had just landed and were taxiing back to dispersal when we watched in horror as the 2 Wellingtons collided and crashed in ball of fire. At the time, there was a Board of Enquiry going on in one of the offices and within minutes one of the members who I seem to remember was a Wing Commander, jumped into a jeep and drove straight into the wreckage and I believe rescued one of the crew."

"16th November 2015 added by Dave Murphy
My Uncle - Paul James Smith was one of the fatalities. He was a Sergeant Signaller. I have tried to obtain a copy of the board of inquiry report but it no longer exists. Apparently the two aircraft where on final approach but dangerously close. a red flare was deployed from the control box to declare the runway closed (radio silence due to live exercise) when the aircraft gained height they collided and went into the runway hard bursting into flames. it took the emergency services several minutes to reach the scene. Two out of the 10 crew [five on each aircraft] survived. I have the names of the survivors and fatalities somewhere. Very tragic indeed..."

Crew fatalities:
The following listing is for all ten crew (eight fatalities, two survivors). There were five in each aircraft. but it has not been possible, from the available records, to discern which crew members were killed in which aircraft (with three exceptions)

Pilot Officer John Alfred Bamborough (Pilot) - killed on active service 15/10/1950
Pilot Officer Ernest Trevor Turner (Pilot) - killed on active service 15/10/1950
Sergeant Paul James Smith (Signaller) - killed on active service 15/10/1950
Flight Lieutenant Peter Conrad Eayrs Williams - killed on active service 15/10/1950
AC.1 (Aircraftsman 1st Class) Peter John Jack - killed on active service 15/10/1950
Flight Lieutenant Ralph Hawardin Anderson - killed on active service 15/10/1950
Sergeant David Garrick - killed on active service 15/10/1950
Sergeant John Peter Leonard Brandon - on board Wellington RP388, killed on active service 15/10/1950
Flying Officer Simmonds - on board Wellington LP846, survived injured
AC.1 (Aircraftsman 1st Class) Pitkin - on board Wellington LP846, survived injured

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.107 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 Colin Cummings p 90
3. Air Britain: RAF Aircraft LA100 - LZ999, published 1991
4. RAF Swinderby ORB (Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for period September 1948 to Aptil 1952: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 28/1709 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4700189
5. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-vickers-619-wellington-x-raf-swinderby-5-killed
6. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/report_of_air_crash_incident_at
7. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1950s-incident-logs
8. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1950-1959_26.html
9. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=5267.0

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
29-Dec-2011 12:24	Uli Elch	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
23-Apr-2017 21:13	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
08-Dec-2017 21:13	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Aircraft type]
23-Oct-2018 21:00	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
04-Feb-2020 00:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Source]
04-Feb-2020 10:50	stehlik49	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
02-Jan-2021 21:33	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
02-Jan-2021 21:38	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Narrative]
02-Jan-2021 22:10	Juza7	Updated [Operator, Nature, Operator]
03-Jan-2021 22:11	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
03-Jan-2021 22:18	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]