ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 72851
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| Date: | Friday 17 March 1944 |
| Time: | 22:45 |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito NF Mk XVII |
| Owner/operator: | 125 (Newfoundland) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | HK261 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Missing - Irish Sea -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RAF Coltishall, Norfolk |
Mosquito HK261: Took off at 21:05 hrs for GCI exercise. 18/03/1944
Collided with Mosquito HK326 over Irish Sea on AI exercise at 22:45 hrs.
"On St. Patrick's Day 1944, the Squadron's Operation Log recorded, 'An unfortunate incident occurred today with the loss of two aircraft and crews.' Shortly after nine that evening two of the squadron's Mosquitos were airborne for a ground-controlled interception (GCI) excercise. For this purpose they were handed over to the control of Ballywooden Station, near Belfast. During the next 90 minutes the planes carried out three interception runs under radar direction from Ballywooden. With the exercise completed, the two were turned over to Sector Control and given a vector which would take them back to base. This final instruction was not acknowledged. Sector Control, having called the two aircraft and got no reply, learned from Ballywooden that both planes had appeared to lose altitude rapidly and to fade off the radar tube. It was presumed that the two had been in collision, and Air/Sea Rescue was immediately put into operation. At Valley 15 aircraft from 125 Sqn scrambled to join in the search as soon as it was daylight, but no trace was found of the missing Mosquitoes. The two pilots, both Newfoundlanders, and their two Welsh navigator-radio operators were listed as missing. It was the end of the road for F/L Eric Snow and his navigator, F/O D.M. Griffiths, and for F/O Jack Reid and P/O H.J. Rich."
Crew :
F/Lt (41878) Eric Augustus SNOW (pilot) RAF - killed
F/O (148.008) Donald Maldwyn GRIFFITHS (nav.) RAFVR - killed
Sources:
1.http://www.dehavilland.ukf.net/_DH98%20prodn%20list.txt
2.http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/09742.php
3.ORB 125 Sqdn RAF
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Feb-2010 10:27 | NePa | Added |
| 17-Jan-2012 05:32 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-May-2014 13:12 | Nepa | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Nov-2014 21:13 | Coumes | Updated [Narrative] |
| 14-May-2015 18:53 | King T. | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 08-Aug-2015 18:52 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 04-Feb-2019 20:24 | Nepa | Updated [Location, Nature, Source, Narrative, Operator] |
| 22-Sep-2021 16:26 | Nepa | Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator] |
| 20-Apr-2022 09:42 | Nepa | Updated [Time, Narrative, Operator] |
| 20-Apr-2022 09:46 | Nepa | Updated [Narrative, Operator] |
| 20-Apr-2022 09:46 | Nepa | Updated [Other fatalities, Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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