Wellington Mk.III DF611 coded W of 30 OTU crashed on the 10th April 1943 while apparently attempting to force land due to loss of power near the village of Newhaven on the Buxton to Ashborne road. The aircraft  on a training flight from Seighford at the time of the crash.

 

 

Crew / Passengers

Rank - if applicable

Position e.g. Pilot

Status

Ronald Albert Jones

Sergeant  

Pilot

Killed

John Scott Spencer 

Sergeant  

Navigator

Killed

Gilbert Kenneth Parsons

Sergeant  

Bomb aimer

Killed

J Douglas

Flight Sergeant

Air Gunner

Injured 

R J Perrin

Flight Sergeant  

Wireless Operator 

Injured

 

The crew of DF611 took off from Seighford for an infrared bombing exercise at 04:50, a hour into the flight the aircraft's engines lost power.  The pilot, Sergeant Ronald Jones attempted to land the aircraft in a field along side the Buxton to Ashbourne road but touched down too far into the field. The aircraft travelled on its wheels until striking the wall at the edge of the field, crossed the main road and ploughed through the wall into the field beyond where the aircraft caught fire killing three of the crew.

 

Crash site of DF611

A view of the crash site of DF611, the aircraft first impacted behind where this photo was taken and came to a halt in the centre of the picture.

 

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