Incident Overview
Description
On 23 May 1940, Armstrong Whitworth Ensign G-ADTA “Euryalus” crash-landed at RAF Lympne and was damaged. The aircraft was one of six that escaped after a Luftwaffe raid on Merville Airfield, France. The intended destination was Croydon. Approaching the English coast, first she lost her port inner engine and the pilot set course for RAF Hawkinge. A short time later her starboard inner engine also had to be shut down. The pilot changed course for Lympne. On landing, the starboard undercarriage was not fully down, causing the wing to scrape the ground and the aircraft to go through a fence as no braking was attempted. Euryalus was flown to RAF Hamble in June, but it was decided to cannibalise her to repair G-ADSU Euterpe which had been damaged in an accident at Bonniksen’s Airfield on 15 December 1939. Euryalus was officially written off on 15 November 1941 and scrapped in September 1942.
Primary Cause
Loss of engine components during a raid on Merville Airfield, leading to a course correction and subsequent damage.Loss of engine components during a raid on Merville Airfield, leading to a course correction and subsequent damage.Share on:
