Date:	Monday 21 January 1946
Time:	night
Type:	Avro Lancaster B Mk III
Owner/operator:	178 Sqn RAF
Registration:	RE202
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Fayid, 23 km south of Ismailia (Al Isma`iliyah) -   Egypt
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Fayid, Egypt
Destination airport:	RAF Fayid, Egypt

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B.Mk.II RE202, 178 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) 21-1-46 when struck hill while on approach to RAF Fayid, 23 km south of Ismailia (Al Isma`iliyah), Egypt.

Due to local geographical conditions, pilots were advised not to approach RAF Fayid at an altitude of below 1,200 feet, and the aircraft should not descend to an altitude of below 700 feet until the airfield lights were in sight. However, Lancaster RE202 was destroyed when the pilot chose to descend below the advised safety altitude of 700 feet during an aproach to RAF Fayid at night, and flew into a hillside. All three crew on board were killed.

Crew of Lancaster RE202
Flying Officer Robert ROBERTSON RAF (pilot, aged 25, Service Number: 197252) - killed in service 21-1-46
Flight Sergeant Desmond Walter GILLAM RAF (Flight Engineer, aged 21, Service Number: 1398504) - killed in service 21-1-46
Flight Sergeant James CALDWELL, RAF (Navigator, aged 28, Service Number: 1672397) - killed in service 21-1-46

All three fatalities were buried at Fayid War Cemetery, Fayid, Egypt.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.29. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
3. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2113594/ROBERT%20ROBERTSON/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2113250/DESMOND%20WALTER%20GILLAM/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2113113/JAMES%20CALDWELL/
7. No 178 Squadron: Operations Record Book for the period 1-10-1944 to 31-3-1946: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1121 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2503760
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Fayid

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
23-May-2010 12:05	TB	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Nature]
02-Jan-2015 09:21	Dr. John Smih	Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
18-May-2015 17:37	Lixon	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
08-Jun-2021 22:21	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]
09-Jun-2021 18:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]