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
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.