Peak District Air Accident Research

Lockheed C-60A Lodestar 42-56014 of the 17th Ferrying Group, USAAF, flew into Beinn Nuis on the 30th September 1943

Above is a Lockheed Hudson, not exactly like a C-60 but very similar.

The aircraft was on a transport flight from Prestwick on the Ayrshire coast to Stornaway in the Western Isles it had taken off at 09:49 GMT for the 1 hour 25 minute flight to Stornaway. The weather that day was cloudy with some rain, the cloud base was expected to be 1,500ft at the lowest.

When the aircraft failed to arrive at Stornaway and its crew could not be contacted a search was mounted, when the weather had improved 2 days later on the 2nd October the wreck was spotted close to the summit of Beinn Nuis on the Isle of Arran. It had flown into the eastern face of the mountain shortly after taking off from Prestwick, in much the same way as ATFERO Liberator AM261 had done north of Goat Fell two years earlier.

The crash site of this aircraft is close to those of B-24 42-41030 which was lost a month prior and B-17 42-97286 which crashed in 1944.

The photo above was taken close to where the aircraft impacted Beinn Nuis. All that remains today on the steep ground where the aircraft crashed are small fragments and a few larger pieces of wreckage.

Four of the crew where laid to rest at Cambridge American Cemetery, they were 1st Lt MacKenzie, 2nd Lt Riddle, Major Goldsmith and Technical Sergeant Fantaskey.

 

BACK