Avro Anson Mk.I MG445 of No.5 Air Navigation School based at Jurby crashed on Slieau Ruy near Laxey on the 3rd January 1946

 

Wladyslaw H. Beller	Flight Sergeant PAF	Pilot	Killed
Benjamin Bernard Komkommerman	Sergeant RNLN	Navigator	Killed
Raymond Charles Jones	Warrant Officer	Wireless Operator	Injured
Mr John Williams	N/A	Passenger	Killed
Mr Paul Fachire	N/A	Passenger	Killed

 

F/Sgt Beller and his crew had taken off from Jurby during the morning of the 3rd January 1946. They flew to Hooton Park near Ellesmere Port to collect Mr Williams and Mr Fachire, both of whom were civilians working for the RAF, and return to Jurby.

John Williams was employed as a carpenter by Martin Hearns Ltd at Hooton Park, they specialised in aircraft maintenance and repair, he was travelling to Jurby to carry out repair work on a number of the resident aircraft.  Paul Fachire was an Inspector of Aircraft Repairs, he lived in Ramsey on the Isle of Man.

The return flight from Hooton Park  started at around 16:00, the weather over the Irish Sea was hazy with some patchy cloud.  As the aircraft neared the Isle of Man F/Sgt Beller asked W/O Jones to contact Jurby, before he could do that the aircraft struck the ground while in cloud.  The aircraft literally turned its self inside out probably killing the two passengers instantly.

W/O Jones regained consciousness shortly after, he could hear both F/Sgt Beller and Sgt Komkommerman, he started to crawl (due to a severe injury to one of his legs) for help but passed out again within 200 yards.  He came to again the following morning and made his way back to the aircraft, during the night both Beller and Komkommerman had succumbed to their injuries.  Following this he crawled away from the aircraft heading down hill he passed out several times, he made it off the hill and into the fields above Agneash.  W/O Jones began to shout for help, his cries were heard by Mrs Shooter from Agneash, she and her husband set out to search for the voice they could here.  Eventually their dog called Peg Leg found W/O Jones lying in one of the fields, within an hour the Police and the medical officer arrived from Jurby arrived and took W/O off the hill and to hospital.

Flight Sergeant Beller and Sergeant Komkommerman were buried at Jurby, their graves are shown below.