Incident Overview
Date: Friday 13 November 1942
Aircraft Type: Short Sunderland II
Owner/operator: Royal Air Force – RAF
Registration Number: W6054
Location: Plymouth Sound –
ÿ Atlantic Ocean
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 16
Component Affected: Aircraft structure (specifically the wings and tail)Aircraft structure (specifically the wings and tail)
Category: Accident
A Sunderland flying boat, operated by 10 Squadron RAF, crashed in Plymouth Sound during heavy fog. The pilot attempted a blind landing with only 15 minutes of fuel remaining, resulting in a catastrophic flip and split in half. Eleven crew members were left adrift in the sea for 90 minutes before rescue.A Sunderland flying boat, operated by 10 Squadron RAF, crashed in Plymouth Sound during heavy fog. The pilot attempted a blind landing with only 15 minutes of fuel remaining, resulting in a catastrophic flip and split in half. Eleven crew members were left adrift in the sea for 90 minutes before rescue.
Description
The Sunderland flying boat, operated by 10 Squadron RAF crashed upon landing in Plymouth Sound in thick fog. With only 15 minutes of fuel left the pilot attempted a blind landing, but with the altimeter still reading 600 feet the Sunderland impacted the sea with the starboard wing down. The aircraft flipped on its back and split in half. The eleven crew were left in the sea for 90 minutes before rescue, none of the passengers survived.
Primary Cause
Fuel exhaustion and a blind landing maneuver.Fuel exhaustion and a blind landing maneuver.Share on:
