ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 25000
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Wednesday 17 March 1948 |
| Time: | 09:47 LT |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington T Mk X |
| Owner/operator: | 1 ANS RAF |
| Registration: | RP565 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | North of RAF Topcliffe, Thirsk, North Yorkshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Topcliffe, Thirsk, North Yorkshire |
| RAF Topcliffe, Thirsk, North Yorkshire |
On the morning of 17th March 1948, a number of airmen of No.1 Air Navigation School, RAF, were undertaking training exercises in two separate aircraft. Both were Vickers Wellington T. Mk10s At 09.47 hours one Wellington (RP565) had just taken off and was climbing away to join the circuit in a left-hand turn. Another Wellington (RP499) was descending to join the circuit and was probably making a banked left turn. The two aircraft collided just north of the airfield and both aircraft broke up in the air.
A large part of one landed on the Sgt's Mess inside the Camp and a large part of the other crashed into a field a few hundred yards away. The Mess sustained serious damage to it but there were no casualties on the ground. Sadly, all eight airmen (four on each aircraft) were killed in the incident. Apart from the pilots, their names, however, have not been traced to actually who was on which aircraft as the station record of this was not completed. Which aircraft hit the mess is also not 100% confirmed.
The accident was put down to neither aircraft's pilot being able to see the other. Here after it was recommended that the seat next to the pilot should be occupied so that there could be a lookout on the blind (right) side. This was a known Wellington quirk but was not looked at during Wartime flying.
Pilot (of RP499) - F/Lt Franciszek Kula MM RAF (P/2204), aged 34, originally from W.Bukowiec, Poland. Buried Newark Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.
Pilot (of RP565) - Pilot II Colin Bass RAF (1603236), aged 25, of High Wycombe, Bucks. Buried West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
The other six airmen were....
Signaller II Walter Ernest Leslie Howell RAF (1023588), aged 27, of Bargoed, Glamorgan. Buried Bedwellty Churchyard, Bargoed, Monmouthshire.
Signaller II Arthur Edward Highman RAF (1333571), aged 25, of Peckham, London. Buried Norwood Cemetery, West Norwood, London.
F/Lt William James Jones RAF (153310), aged 25, of Lambeth, London. Buried Topcliffe Cemetery, Yorkshire.
F/Lt Robert Sneddon Laird RAF (149193), aged 31, of Falkirk, Stirlingshire. Buried Bo'ness Cemetery, West Lothian.
F/Lt Harry Corelius New RAF (165262), aged 26, of Smethwick, Staffordshire. Buried Uplands Cemetery, Smethwick, Staffordshire.
F/Lt John Edge Kerslake RAF (182652), aged 24, of Rainworth, Nottinghamshire. Buried Topcliffe Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Sources:
1. https://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?126972-Post-war-Wellington-accidents
2. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/yorksother/rp565.html
3. https://clan-davies.kiwitrees.net/individual.php?pid=I8765&ged=DFT2006c.ged
4. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-vickers-619-wellington-x-raf-topcliffe-4-killed-0
5. https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/des-witnessed-fatal-crash-wellington-bomber-raf/story-25989944-detail/story.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 06-Jan-2015 21:42 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Apr-2015 20:10 | Don Diego | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 25-Apr-2017 00:04 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 13-Nov-2019 19:57 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation