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Date: | Thursday 24 June 1954 |
Time: | day |
Type: | English Electric Canberra B.2 |
Owner/operator: | RAF Flying College |
Registration: | WH639 |
MSN: | 71111 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | 2.5 miles SW of Doncaster, South Yorkshire -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Manby, Lincolnshire |
Destination airport: | |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:EE Canberra B.2 WH639: Notified as awaiting collection 25/9/52, and delivered 3/10/52. Sole operation RAF service was with the RAF Flying College at Manby, Lincolnshire.
Written off 24/6/1954 when broke up in flight 2.5 miles South-West of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The aircraft was seen to break up whilst flying at high speed at about 10,000 feet. The cause of the structural failure could not be determined although various theories were put forward by the Board of Inquiry.
Both crew were killed:
Group Captain Richard Thomas Fairfax Gates DFC AFC, RAF (Pilot, aged 40)
Flight Lieutenant Peter Oliver RAF (Navigator, aged 32)
Canberra WH639 was formally struck off charge as Cat.5(scrap) on 12/7/54
Sources:
1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.160 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 51)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.67
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/218:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424339 5.
http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WH 6.
http://www.ukserials.com/prodlists.php?type=989 7.
http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/07117.php Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
12-Jun-2008 19:18 |
JINX |
Added |
04-Apr-2013 19:41 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
14-Sep-2016 18:29 |
peter ross |
Updated [Date] |
15-Mar-2018 15:18 |
Anon. |
Updated [Date] |
10-Jan-2020 23:20 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
10-Jan-2020 23:22 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Narrative] |
13-Apr-2020 21:53 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Source, Narrative] |