ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 150412
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 June 1940 |
| Time: | 12:23 |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 17 OTU RAF |
| Registration: | L9172 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Cwmafan, Afan Valley, 8 miles ESE of Swansea, Wales -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RAF Upwood, Cambridgeshire |
| RAF Upwood, |
Blenheim L9172: Took off for a navigation exercise. The route: base-Lundy Island–Exmouth-base. 12/06/1940
At 12:23 hrs, while flying at 20,000 feet, the pilot radioed "breaking up" and soon afterwards eye witnesses saw the Blenheim falling in a series of uneven rolls and slowly disintegrating. The main debris fell into the tinplate works area at Cwmafan, in the Afan Valley, 8 miles east south east of Swansea. All three crew were pitched from the aircraft, Sgt. Bain parachuting virtually unscathed. His crew were not so fortunate.
Crew:
Sgt (196750) Victor Albert BAIN (pilot) RAFVR - Ok /bale out
Sgt (747805) William Hubert WHEELER (obs) RAFVR - killed.
AC2 (636888) Sidney BOULTON (Wop/AG) RAF - Killed.
According to a Police report (Cwmafan Police Station Occurrence Books):
"The bodies of Sgt. Wheeler and Ac2 Boulton were found on the Copper miners tip, approx. 200 yards apart; neither was wearing a parachute. Upon examination of the aircraft's logbook It was found that the plane had left Upwood airdrome, Huntingdonshire, at 08:16 hrs on a flight to Lundy Island and apparently was returning when the accident occurred. Last entry in the logbook was at 12:15 hrs - ' Gun............of cumulus, altitude 20,000 feet '. On examination of a clock in the wreckage, It was found to have stopped at 12:23 hrs.(4 hrs. 7 min)
Received from Superintendent W. Doolan this 17th day of June 1940 property: 1 loaded magazine drum and 1 oxygen cylinder found following crash of Bristol Blenheim bomber no. L9172 at Cwmafan on 12 June 1940 which was identified as property found and handed to police"
Sgt Victor Albert Bain, the sole survivor, later transferred to No. 143 Squadron, Coastal Command, he again survived a crash when he was shot down into the sea off Norway in Beaufighter JL943 on May 1 1943. Sadly Victor was killed in a post war crash on January 30, 1946, in Douglas DC-3 KN500 of 525 Squadron, Transport Command.
Sources:
1. Blenheim L9172 Flying Accident Form AM1180, RAF Museum London
2. Halley, J J, 1993, Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000 to N9999
3. http://www.rafupwood.co.uk/17otulosses.html
4. http://www.ggat.org.uk/timeline/pdf/Military%20Aircraft%20Crash%20Sites%20in%20Southeast%20Wales.pdf
5. https://www.cwgc.org
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2012 14:32 | Nepa | Added |
| 06-Aug-2013 19:02 | JINX | Updated [Registration, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport] |
| 04-Nov-2013 20:13 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Dec-2013 07:05 | JINX | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 24-Jan-2014 17:29 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport] |
| 23-May-2019 23:15 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-May-2019 10:40 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
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