1948 Royal Air Force Avro Lancaster crash

The RAF Luqa - Mawgan flight was operated by the RAF on Friday 3 September 1948 with an Avro Lancaster B Mk III GR that crashed on the slopes of Colle dei Lecci on the island of Montecristo (at an altitude of about 300 m); all seven occupants of the aircraft perished in the crash and the ensuing fire.

The accident

The aircraft was reported missing during a joint Anglo-American military exercise, shortly after 00:00 on 3 September 1948, during a flight from the Luqa base (Malta) to the Mawgan base (Cornwall, near Newquay).

The crew of a motor sailing vessel sailing towards Porto Santo Stefano were able to observe the bomber flying at very low altitude and crashing into the island of Montecristo. The sea was too rough and the motor sailing vessel, unable to approach Montecristo, continued towards its destination; from Porto Santo Stefano the alarm was raised to the Harbour Office of Livorno, which sent two corvettes to the waters of the island. These two ships too, because of the very bad sea conditions, were only able to sail at 16:00. In the meantime a massive rescue operation took place: the US aircraft carrier Kearsarge, accompanied by seven destroyers and by one of the two Italian corvettes sent from Livorno. A Supermarine Seafire that had taken off from the British aircraft carrier HMS Triumph had spotted the remains of TX269 on the rocks of the upper Valle di Santa Maria, on the south-western side of Montecristo. Immediately, a search party left the same aircraft carrier for the island and the remains of TX269 and of the seven occupants were found; their bodies were recovered and then, on the afternoon of Sunday 5 September, buried with military honours in the waters of the island by the aircraft carrier HMS Triumph.

Among the crew were the pilot Arthur, the second pilot Kingsley, the non-commissioned officer S.J. Herd, the navigator Barthorpe and the gunner Dickens.