Date:	Thursday 13 June 1940
Time:	04:50
Type:	Bristol Beaufort Mk I
Owner/operator:	42 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L4489
MSN:	AW-A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Grutness Bay, Sumburgh, Shetland Islands -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Sumburgh, Shetland Islands
Destination airport:	RAF Sumburgh, Shetland Islands

Narrative:
Bristol Beaufort Mk.I L4489 (AW-A) 42 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed to Return) from combat operations. All four crew survived with minor injuries. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/873): "Beaufort L4489 hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire at Grutness Bay, Sumburgh, Shetland Islands, 13 June 1940. Sergeant F D Flinn, Sergeant S W Shirley, Leading Aircraftman A J Thomas and Aircraftman 1st Class A O'Malley: injured"

Took off from RAF Sumburgh, Shetland Islands at 23:15 hours to carry out a dive bombing attack on Trondheim Airfield at Værnes, Stjørdal in Trøndelag county, Norway, at 6,000 feet. Released 2 x 250 lb GP (General Purpose) bombs from 2,100 feet, reporting that both bombs hit a barrack block. Hit by enemy machine gun ground fire at Trondheim at approximate co ordinates 10'13" East, 63'13 North, and the starboard aileron control wires were shot away.

The Beaufort managed to head back to base, but crashed at 04:50 hours into the sea whilst attempting to land at RAF Sumburgh, Shetland Islands, and come down at Grutness Bay, Sumburgh, Shetland Islands. All four crew survived with only minor injuries

Crew of Beaufort L4489:
Sergeant F D Flinn (pilot) RAF 44120
Sergeant S W Shirley, (Observer) RAF 516023
Leading Aircraftman A J Thomas (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) RAF
Aircraftman 1st Class A O'Malley RAF 544944

Grutness is a small settlement and headland at the southern tip of the main island of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, at approximate co ordinates 59.873°N 1.279°W

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/873: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502519
3. Ross McNeill, Coastal Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 1 (1939-1941), Midland publishing, 2003
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grutness
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trondheim_Airport,_V%C3%A6rnes

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

21 June 1940

L4501

42 Sqn RAF

4

North Sea off Bergen

w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
23-Sep-2019 22:55	Dr. John Smith	Added
24-Sep-2019 13:14	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
24-Sep-2019 15:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative]
24-Sep-2019 15:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]