Vickers Wellington crash on Monte Santa Croce

The crash of a Vickers Wellington HF 694 on Monte Santa Croce in the frazione of Polverara, Riccò del Golfo di Spezia, in the province of La Spezia, was an air accident that occurred on 24 November 1943.

Sequence of the accident

At around 23:00 their aircraft was flying over the province of La Spezia; all the witnesses agree in remembering that day as cold and rainy: in fact the real reason for the accident has never become known, although the most credited is precisely that of engine icing due to the aircraft climbing (Betts must have tried to gain altitude to avoid the storm), with consequent loss of control and a crash on the ridge of the mountain. The inhabitants heard a terrifying crash and, despite the rain, a fire immediately spread in the area. A multitude of people immediately rushed to the site, discovering the terrible outcome of the accident. The bodies appeared torn apart and only one airman was still alive when the people of Polverara arrived, but he died shortly afterwards. The bodies were laid out and the funerals were celebrated by the then parish priest of Polverara, don Pietro Figoli, in the local parish church; the next day the bodies were buried in the local cemetery.