Vickers Wellington Mk.XIII NC661 from RAF Shawbury, 25 Group, Flying Training Command, crashed at Trusley near Derby on the 25th June 1946 whilst on a cross country training flight from RAF Shawbury.
|
Crew / Passengers |
Rank - if applicable |
Position e.g. Pilot |
Status |
|
John Harold Brewster-Livett |
Warrant Officer |
Pilot |
Killed |
| David Bowie D.F.M. | Flight Lieutenant | Navigator | Killed |
| John Stanley May | Flight Lieutenant | Navigator / Bomb Aimer | Killed |
| Maurice Madams | Warrant Officer | Wireless Operator / Air Gunner | Killed |
| Robert Syndey Wallace | Cadet, A.T.C. | Passenger | Killed |
| Geoffrey Peter Balty | Cadet, A.T.C. | Passenger | Killed |
At 13:30 on the 25th June 1946 NC661 took off on a cross country flight, after only 40 minutes in the air the aircraft suffered failure of the starboard engine and was unable to maintain height or airspeed on the port engine alone. The pilot attempted to make a wheels down forced landing in a corn field but had to overshoot, however he did not have sufficient power to recover the airspeed lost in the attempted landing. While attempting to overshoot the aircraft struck a large tree and crashed into the field beyond bursting into flames, the aircraft came to rest in a pit which at the time was surrounded by trees
The aircraft navigator, Flt Lt David Bowie D.F.M. had been in the RAF for some time, having been awards the D.F.M. on the 31st October 1941 while with 252 Sqn, a Beaufighter unit operating from Edku in Egypt.
The Pilot W/O Brewster-Livett and his two ATC passengers were buried at Oxford (Botley) Cemetery, below are photographs of their graves.
Above is where the aircraft crashed, the tree it struck is to the right of the tractor and the aircraft came to rest in the hollow on the right hand edge of the photo.