Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.V Z9189 of No.42 OTU crashed shortly after take off from Darley Moor airfield near Ashbourne on the 27th July 1943.
|
Crew / Passengers |
Rank - if applicable |
Position e.g. Pilot |
Status |
|
John Alfred Watkins |
Flight Sergeant |
Pilot |
Killed |
| Ian Bert Mann | Flying Officer | Pilot (Pupil) | Killed |
| Ian Wallace-Cox | Warrant Officer | Navigator / Bomb Aimer | Killed |
| Albert John Shorter | Sergeant | Wireless Operator | Killed |
| Kenneth Alfred Gooding | Sergeant | Air Gunner | Killed |
At just after 00:20 on the 27th July 1943 Z9189 took off from Darley Moor airfield, a satellite of the larger airfield at Ashbourne. The aircraft was barely airborne when a flame trap on the port engine failed causing of premature ignition within the inlet manifold on the engine causing it to fail and catch fire. The aircraft quickly lost what little height it had and crashed in a field less than half a mile from the end of the runway.
The aircraft crashed in the field shown above, a shallow depression can be seen in the centre of the image, this is where the aircraft crashed.
Below is the grave of the pupil pilot, Pilot Officer Mann and his father Major S. H. Mann of the Pioneer Corps in Wimbledon (Gap Road) Cemetery.
