ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 21606
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| Date: | Sunday 4 July 1943 |
| Time: | 23:07 |
| Type: |  Consolidated B-24C Liberator Mk II |
| Owner/operator: | 511 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | AL523 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 16 / Occupants: 17 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | In sea, 1/2 mile E of RAF North Front -
 Gibraltar
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF North Front |
| RAF Hendon |
Crashed into the Mediterranean only 16 seconds after take off. General Władysław Sikorski, Polish Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Forces in Exile, was killed in the crash along with his daughter Zofia and fourteen others.
Only the pilot, F/O (112323) Eduard PRCHAL survived the accident which is believed to have been caused by some sort of failure of the control system.
The exact cause of the crash has never been ascertained.
Crew:-
Pilot : F/L Eduard M Prchal PAF P/112323 [Injured]
2/Pilot : S/L Wilfred Stanley "Kipper" Herring DSO DFM MiD RAF 44709 (NCO:564688) [Killed]
F/E : Sgt Francis Simpson Kelly RAF 529667 [Killed]
Nav : W/O Lewis Zalsberg DFM RAFVR 755970 [Killed]
W/Op : F/S George Brotchie Robertson Gerry RAF 552537 [Killed]
W/Op/AG : F/S Dobson Hunter RAFVR 1183899 [Killed]
Psgr : Col Victor Cazalet (Polish Army) [Killed]
Psgr : Col Jan Gralewski (Polish Army) [Killed]
Psgr : M/Gen Tadeusz Klimecki (Polish Army) [Killed]
Psgr : Mr Adam Kulakowski (Polish Army) [Killed]
Psgr : Mme Zofia Lesniowska (Polish Army) [Killed]
Psgr : Mr Walter Heathcote Lock Civilian [Killed]
Psgr : Col Andrzej Marecki (Polish Army) [Killed]
Psgr : W/O Harry Pinder RN CWGC:2495410 [Killed]
Psgr : Lt Jozef Poniewski (Polish Army) [Killed]
Psgr : Gen Wladyslaw E Sikorski (Polish Army) [Killed]
Psgr : Brig John Percival Whiteley (Army) CWGC:2814722 [Killed]
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Sikorski
- Air Britain: RAF Aircraft AA100 - AZ999, published 2000
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_Gibraltar_B-24_crash
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Jul-2008 02:52 | Bleiente | Added |
| 10-Apr-2010 12:58 | harro | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Apr-2010 23:51 | angels one five | Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Nature, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 27-Apr-2010 01:14 | angels one five | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 27-Apr-2010 01:18 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 03-Jan-2012 06:16 | Uli Elch | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Jan-2012 01:04 | angels one five | Updated [Operator] |
| 05-Jan-2012 01:09 | angels one five | Updated [Operator, Location] |
| 08-Jan-2012 10:54 | Uli Elch | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 04-Feb-2012 08:25 | Nepa | Updated [Operator] |
| 13-Nov-2012 11:51 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-May-2013 08:05 | angels one five | Updated [Operator, Location] |
| 01-Aug-2013 19:44 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location] |
| 06-Jan-2014 07:43 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Operator, Location] |
| 09-May-2015 13:10 | Angel dot comma | Updated [Time, Operator] |
| 11-May-2015 01:50 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport] |
| 11-May-2015 06:57 | Angel Dick one | Updated [Time, Operator, Location] |
| 20-May-2015 01:47 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Operator] |
| 21-May-2015 09:22 | Erectus | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 02-Jun-2018 07:08 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 04-Jul-2022 06:46 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
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