Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V BD420

 

A few scraps missed by the amateur "aviation archaeologists" of the WAR group when they dug up the crash site of this Armstrong Whitworth Whitley which was towing a glider on 15th February 1944 when it came to grief on Mytton Dingle on the Stiperstones, killing all five of the crew.

The investigation suggested that the pilot was rather overconfident, and was flying unwisely low over high and broken ground. Whether it was a bird strike or a downdraft which was the final cause of the incident was not determined.

Location: SJ 37230 00507

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Shropshire Air Crash Sites And Memorials

Had an outing with Mat ZX over the weekend to Shropshire to look at a few sites. A lovely day for it. We walked up the hill to the Stiperstones, and then went to a local church with memorials to two crashes nearby. Details in posts to follow....

Peak District Crash Site Locations

This is still the only site with GPS verified, precise and accurate grid references for all of the peak district crash sites where any wreckage remains. We also have many in Wales, Yorkshire, and Bowland.

We are still active, and are in the process of updating the site, which has been rather inactive for a few years due to work commitments.

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.V BD230

 

Another outing last week took me and Ian DB to the memorial to Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.V BD230 in Muggington, known as "the Lonely Memorial" due to its out of the way location.

Location: SK 29516 43973

More Info: Derbyshire War Memorials

North American Harvard Mk.IIB FT442

 

I have had a few outings recently with Mat ZX and Ian DB. The Harvard site on Shining Tor continues to evolve. Now it has two crosses, and a scatter of new, larger bits of debris. Holes and small piles of similar debris locally suggest that these were discarded by metal detectorists. When I first went here were just minutiae in a small peat scar. 

Location: SJ 99748 73741.

UK Crash Site Coordinates

We are still in business, and still the best site for UK air crash site coordinates, grid references and locations

Vickers Wellington Mk.I L4230

 

An outing to Great Rhos with Matt ZX yesterday yielded two crash sites, of which this was the less impressive. 

There are only scattered scraps to be found at the crash site, though larger fragments of skinning have been found scattered across the moor downwind of the site.

Location: SO 18497 63139

Further Info:https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/186510 or "Final Descent" by Terence R Hill

Miles Martinet Mk.I HN888

 

Second crash site of the day yesterday had this engine, a rarity in Wales nowadays with all of the looting. The location given below is for the engine. There's an impact site further up the hill with a scatter of bits and bobs as well.

Location: SO17569 64613

More Info: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/248513 or "Final Descent" by Terence R Hill, if you can find a copy (it also has a nice picture of a very youthful Matt Rimmer, scourge of the magpies)

Avro Anson Mk.XI NL185 Update

Went out in the snow with Matt ZX a little while back to show him a few sites on Kinder Scout he hadn't been to. The engine from Avro Anson Mk. XI NL185 appears to be missing. When I went out with Pat and MT Skull a while back, we didn't find it, but I had thought that was because we were a little rushed. Me and Matt however had a good hard look, and there is no sign of it. Someone went to some trouble here. But why?

Carnedd Daffydd Air Crash Sites: Mystery Bit

I had a stroll up Carnedd Daffydd last weekend, to have a look for the missing Cessna engine block amongst other things. 

No luck with the Cessna, but came across this bit a long way from any sites I have been to before. Despite the report from a dog walker that he had seen the engine block at a new site, I'm wondering if that Cessna engine block is decorating some magpie's garage. We had a good look all round where it used to be, and on the obvious lines someone might have rolled /dragged it down. 

Anyway, the bit pictured looks like a bit of armour plate shaped to fit the back of a seat, (head end down in the pic) with some skinning attached. Nothing else around it, and I haven't seen it reported elsewhere. 

Location: SH 66939 62844

 

Airspeed Oxford Mk.I LX518

Went out with Mat ZX on Friday for three sites he hadn't been to before on the back end of Bleaklow, including  LX518. 

There are so many well worn tracks all over the hills nowadays. Both this site and the Consul are pretty much right on well-eroded routes now. They were quite hard to find when we located them. It's hard to miss them now!

I was however surprised to come across this burn site a short distance from the more extensive remains in a grough I'd previously marked as the site.

Location: SK18023 96710

Google Earth .kmz file: Aztrecks version

I had a query about the kmz file I created for all of the Peak District wreck sites, which used to be available from a link for a previous post. I have found a version of the file-if you want it, try this link, or email me at peakwreckhunter@googlemail.com. I can however see some of the locations shown in this file are incorrect, so I think it's actually one I got from the now-defunct Aztrecks site. I'll produce an updated version after I next meet up with Pat (who I gave a copy of my version to) 

Lancaster PA411 RAF; Lightning P38J 42-67207 Revisit 2

 

Side note on the weekend's revisit of Tintwistle Knarr crash sites: some of them seem to have been "decorated" with assorted irrelevant crap, as you can see in the pics. This is something I'm seeing increasingly frequently. 

At least one of the painted rocks appears to be to do with some kind of army veteran's mental health charity. Maybe they all are, but I'm still not really seeing the relevance to an air force war grave. Ditto the Ukrainian flag at the Lightning site. The pilot and aircraft were American, not Ukrainian.

Incidentally, I noted a small secondary wreckage pile at the Lancaster site: 

Location: SK 03494 99223

Hawker Hurricanes PZ851,PZ765 and PZ854; Lancaster PA411 RAF; Lightning P38J 42-67207 Revisit

I went out to visit the sites on Tintwistle Knarr a couple of times over the weekend to investigate reports of a new bit at the Hurricanes site. There was indeed a new bit, as pictured above. 

It's most plausible that it's from the Hurricanes, though it might be from the nearby Lancaster. Ian DB's pics should however show how it differs from its counterparts at the Lancaster.

Hard to see how I might have missed this on every previous visit. I must have more or less stood on it on every occasion. However, the site is burned right through the peat, I have never seen it so bare. Maybe it's been there all along.  

Location: SK 03527 98907

Gloster Meteors WA971 and VZ518

I've been up to Sliddens Moss twice in recent weeks with Pat, and Matt. Last week's outing turned up this engine, which I hadn't seen on previous outings. 

Location: TBA

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Cessna 310 F G-ARMK: The Magpies Strike Again!

 

Had a day out in Wales with Matt ZX last Friday. Weather report was filthy, but as it turned out, overly pessimistic. Weather was pretty much standard autumn mountain weather. 

After visiting the mixed Anson and Ventura wreckage over the other side of Fynnon Lloer, we went up the stream to see the usually impossible to miss Cessna engine. No sign of it. 

The one other walker we met all day on top said he'd seen it about a year ago. Got out my old high-accuracy coordinates. My sticks are very close to where it used to be. Definitely no sign of it. 

It's probably in some saddo's garage then, though there's a small chance it has merely been moved, as comments on previous posts suggest it has been before. 

Consolidated B-24J Liberator 42-100322

 

A day out in Bowland with IanDB in low cloud yesterday yielded this Burn Fell B-24 site I've missed in the past.

Location:  SD 67123 53127

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Airspeed Oxford Mk.II X7064

A quick outing with Matt ZX in nice walking weather to various hills outside Llangollen yielded 3/3 target sites in fairly short order. First of the day was the Oxford site on Moel y Gamelin. 

Fragments of wreckage are scattered throughout the scree. The pic is a closeup of a bit with inspection stamp and markings which I'd like to say prove it's an Airspeed Oxford, but it looked slightly questionable at first. A part number starting with 10 is good, but the inspection stamp should ideally be  AS for Airspeed. Mat however tells me that the RECL stamp is from Royston Engineering, who made spares for a number of manufacturers including Airspeed and DeHaviland.

Location: SJ 17470 46623

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Douglas C-47A Dakota 41-7803

 

This site on Moel Y Gaer is unique in my experience in having more bits of clothing related debris like this US great seal embossed brass button than bits of aircraft, by virtue of its cargo. Which is surprising considering these buttons go for £3.50 each on eBay. 

Location: SJ 16779 46393

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Boeing B-29A-50-BN Washington B.1 WF502 Memorial

 

The memorial to the Washington crash in the nearby village 

Location: SJ 19027 56172

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