ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 163751
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| Date: | Saturday 18 April 1942 |
| Time: | 15:00 |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | A&AEE RAF |
| Registration: | R5539 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 2 miles NE of Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | RAF Boscombe Down, Wiltshire |
| RAF Boscombe Down |
Lancaster R5539, Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, aircraft accident, crashed near Chalton, Malmesbury, Wilstshire, 18 April 1942
Crew-
Pilot : Wing Commander Peter Stanley Salter AFC RAF 33041 [Killed]
Air Gunner : Flight Lieutenant Norman Gladswood Wilson RAFVR 77694 (NCO:190340 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 19 March, 1940) [Killed]
Sergeant Richard Lewis Bilton RAFVR 954263 [Killed]
Squadron Leader Jack Donald Harris RAF 37320 [Killed]
Aircraftman 1st Class Andrew Nicholas Tracey RAFVR 1136105 [Killed]
Flight Lieutenant Percy Frederick Wakelin RAFVR 78457 (NCO:745636 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 30 April, 1940) [Killed]
This test flight followed a crash of a Lancaster that had suffered a loss of a section of wing paneling on its return to England from a bombing raid on Germany. All the Lancaster aircraft at that time were brand new Lancaster 1s. The crashes were caused by faulty design of the skin/rivets on the upper wind out section. This resulted in all the Lancaster in service at that time being taken off operations and confined to navigation and night flying training flights over the UK. No. 97 Squadron March 26th 1942. See references for discovery.nationalarchives below
The Lancaster had taken off from Boscombe Down with a simulated full bomb load of concrete bombs to carry out diving trials from 13,000ft down to 5,000ft at various engine settings.
Witnesses saw the Lancaster emerge from cloud in a slight dive, then roll onto its back and right itself before diving steeply into the ground at very high speed. A subsequent investigation revealed that a panel just over 5 feet by 2 feet had come away from behind the outboard engine due to the failure of the rivets holding it in place. This panel then hit the tailplane and the aircraft had then gone out of control.
Sources:
http://aviationarchaeology.co.uk/2011-digs/lancaster-r5539
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C17206181
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8384782
https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/113451-lancaster-r5539-dig-at-lea-wiltshire-merged
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Feb-2014 14:10 | harro | Added |
| 19-Oct-2014 17:25 | Route | Updated [Operator] |
| 29-Sep-2020 19:53 | Peter L | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Apr-2022 16:36 | TigerTimon | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Source] |
| 18-Apr-2024 06:58 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
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