Vickers Wellington Mk.X MF584 of No.27 OTU, crashed near to Marchington, 3 miles SE of Uttoxeter on the 18th July 1944

 

John Sutherland Walker	Flight Sergeant RAAF	Pilot	Uninjured
John Strange East	Pilot Officer RAAF	Navigator	Uninjured
Joseph Arthur Barnard	Sergeant RAAF	Bomb Aimer	Injured
Harry Kearsley Chamberlain	Flight Sergeant RAAF	Wireless Operator / Air Gunner	Uninjured
Brian Joseph Mordecai	Sergeant RAAF	Air Gunner	Uninjured

 

The crew were carrying out a bombing exercise over Cannock Chase, having taken off from RAF Lichfield at 18:30. While at 9000 feet above Cannock Chase a severe vibration developed from the starboard engine. Shortly after this a blade from the propeller on that engine broke off. The vibration continued and that engine also fell off.

The crew then abandoned the aircraft with the pilot holding it as level as possible with only one engine and the large weight imbalance on the port side. Once all of the crew were clear the pilot donned his parachute and left the aircraft which entered a turn to port and dived into the ground shortly afterwards near the village of Marchington.

The cause of the propeller failure was thought to be due to a large section from one of the blades snapping off causing the eventual break up of the whole airscrew and engine.