1945 Avro York crash
35°30′0″N 12°35′0″E / 35.50000°N 12.58333°E / 35.50000; 12.58333Aircraft Aircraft type Avro York Operator No. 511 Squadron RAF Registration MW116 Flight origin RAF Lyneham Stopover RAF Luqa Destination Yalta Passengers 11 Crew 4 Fatalities 15 Survivors 0 Before 1900 1900s-1940s 1950s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
On 1 February 1945 an Avro York carrying members of the British delegation to the Yalta conference crashed off the Italian island of Lampedusa. During the flight to Yalta, undertaken during night time, the crew became unsure of their position due to a navigation radio malfunction. The aircraft ended up over Lampedusa and circled for approximately one hour as crew members attempted to verify their position. The crew eventually determined the proper course to Malta but by then the aircraft lacked the fuel quantity to cover the distance. During an attempted ditching the Avro crashed into the sea, killing all four crew and 11 passengers. Some sources state there were four survivors.[1][2]
The aircraft crew consisted of Warrant Officer William Wright, Leading Aircraftman John Chicken - wireless operator, Flight Sergeant Alfred Claude Jack Walker – flight engineer and Flying Officer Arthur Applebey – air gunner.[1]
Results of the accident investigation were reported to Parliament by Air Minister Sir Archibald Sinclair. He stated in part, that the air crew had sufficient experience but had never previously flown together as a crew.[2]
Six victims of the crash were buried at Imtarfa Military Cemetery in Malta. Some of the CWGC graves are damaged due to bombing of a nearby airfield in the Second World War.[3] Wright is buried in the Medjez-el-Bab War Cemetery in Tunisia.[4]
References
- ^ a b "Crash of an Avero 685 York I off Lampedusa: 15 killed". www.baaa-acro.com. Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A). Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ a b "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 26901". Aviation Safety.
- ^ "Imtarfa Military Cemetery". Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
- ^ "Warrant Officer (Wireless Operator (Air)) WRIGHT, WILLIAM". Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
- v
- t
- e
Aviation accidents and incidents in Italy
- Francesco Zambeccari (September 1812)
- Jorge Chávez (September 1910)
- Verona Caproni Ca.48 crash (August 1919)
- Dixmude (December 1923)
- 1945 Avro York crash (February 1945)
- Superga air disaster (May 1949)
- BOAC Flight 115 (October 1952)
- Mediterranean Sea mid-air collision (January 1953)
- BOAC Flight 781 (January 1954)
- South African Airways Flight 201 (April 1954)
- Sabena Flight 503 (February 1955)
- British European Airways Flight 142 (October 1958)
- TWA Flight 891 (June 1959)
- RAF Hercules crash (November 1971)
- Alitalia Flight 112 (May 1972)
- Argo 16 (November 1973)
- Rome airport attacks and hijacking (December 1973)
- Alitalia Flight 4128 (December 1978)
- Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 12 (September 1979)
- Itavia Flight 870 (June 1980)
- Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 460 (October 1987)
- Uganda Airlines Flight 775 (October 1988)
- Italian Air Force MB-326 crash (December 1990)
- Banat Air Flight 166 (December 1995)
- Air Littoral Flight 701 (July 1997)
- Cavalese cable car crash (February 1998)
- Linate Airport disaster (October 2001)
- Pirelli Tower crash (April 2002)
- Tuninter Flight 1153 (August 2005)
- Air Algérie Flight 2208 (August 2006)
- ASL Airlines Hungary Flight 7332 (August 2016)
