Date:	Thursday 27 June 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk III
Owner/operator:	CGS RAF
Registration:	BK214
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Other fatalities:	1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Hutton Cranswick, 3 miles south of Driffield, East Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Leconfield, East Yorkshire
Destination airport:	RAF Leconfield, East Yorkshire

Narrative:
Vickers Wellington BK214, CGS (Central Gunnery School) RAF: Written off (destroyed) 27 June 1946 in a mid-air collision. While performing a training mission with several other aircraft, the Wellington collided with a RAF Spitfire LF.16 (TE229), also of the CGS, and dove into the ground and crashed in a wheat field at Hutton Cranswick, 3 miles South of Driffield, East Yorkshire. All six crew members were killed.
Crew of Spitfire TE229 -
F/O (181799) James Edward HARRISON (pilot) RAFVR - killed.

According to a contemporary local newspaper (the 'Fraserburgh Herald' of July 16th 1946) reported the following:

"A flying accident occurred recently which caused the death of F/Lt. Sqn. /Gunnery Leader Allenby Mathers, R.A.F. The accident occurred during a mock battle, in which F/Lt. Mathers was instructing a number of Student Cadets in a Wellington aircraft. A Spitfire crashed into the Wellington and a wing was torn off each plane. Mathers immediately sent a radio message to the base that an accident had occurred and he was attempting to save the lives of the Cadets. The Wellington, however, lost height quickly, crashed, and all were killed. The pilot of the Spitfire was also killed".
:
Crew of Wellington BK214:
W/O (1622193) Kenneth HINCHLIFFE (Pilot) RAF: killed
F/Lt. (137309) Allenby MATHERS (WOp/AG) RAF: killed
W/O (618706) Harry EDWARDS (Air Gunner) RAF: killed
F/Sgt (1570052) Joseph RICKITTS (Air Gunner) RAF: killed
F/Sgt (3000141) Roy Ernest Kenneth HANCOCK (Air Gunner) RAF: killed
A.C.2 (2297456) Sidney Howard BALLARD (pass.) RAF: killed

Crew of Wellington BK214:
*AC2Sidney Howard BALLARD (2297456) RAFVR - buried at Stonefall Cemetery, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
*W/O Harry EDWARDS (618706) RAF- buried at Streatham Park Cemetery, Streatham, London SW16
*F/Sgt Roy Ernest Kenneth HANCOCK (3000141) RAF, buried at Putney Vale Cemetery & Crematorium, Putney Vale, London SW15
*W/O Kenneth HINCHLIFFE (1622193) RAF buried at St. Batholonew's Churchyard, Marsden. North Yorkshire
*F/Lt Allenby MATHERS (137309) RAF, buried at Springbank Cemetery, Aberdeen
*F/Sgt Joseph RICKITTS (1570052) RAF, kburied at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.47. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.169
3. The Indian Express 3 June 1946, p 5
4. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.100: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mid-air_collisions_and_incidents_in_the_United_Kingdom#1940s
6. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-vickers-417-wellington-iii-yorkshire-6-killed
7. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/wardead/details.php?qnum=19472
8. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=BK214
9. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?22330-460627-Unaccounted-Airmen-27-06-1946&p=130388#post130388
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2623337/ballard,-sidney-howard/
11. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2435646/edwards,-harry/
12. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2429696/hancock,-roy-ernest-kenneth/
13. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2409069/hinchliffe,-kenneth/
14. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2458408/mathers,-allenby/
15. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2843808/rickitts,-joseph/
16. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?22330-460627-Unaccounted-Airmen-27-06-1946&p=130403#post130403
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutton_Cranswick

Wellington BK214 crashed at Hutton Cranswick in East Yorkshire. This engine was later recovered from the site and its condition demonstrates the speed of the impact. Wings Museum, Balcombe, West Sussex, UK 20th August 2020:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
15-Jan-2017 23:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative]
29-Apr-2017 21:16	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
29-Nov-2018 09:33	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]
09-Jan-2019 13:30	TB	Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Nature, Source]
21-Oct-2019 00:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
21-Oct-2019 00:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
01-Nov-2019 16:07	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Operator]
12-Nov-2019 22:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative]
12-Nov-2019 22:31	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Operator]
27-Jul-2021 23:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
28-Jul-2021 10:25	Lelek	Updated [Location, Embed code, Narrative, Operator]
28-Jul-2021 10:25	Lelek	Updated [Operator, Operator]
22-Jun-2023 01:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Operator, Operator]]
22-Jun-2023 09:21	Nepa	Updated [[[Operator, Operator]]]