1953 Mediterranean Sea Lancaster and Valetta mid-air collision
Encyclopedia
On the 15 January 1953 VX562
a twin-engined Vickers Valetta
transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force
(RAF) collided over the Mediterranean Sea with a four-engined RAF Avro Lancaster
maritime patrol
aircraft. A total of 26 people were killed.
with 16 passengers (15 airmen and one Royal Navy
(RN) sailor) on a return flight to the United Kingdom
. When just before 05:00 the Valleta was between Pantellaria and Sicily
it collided in poor visibility and heavy rain with the Avro Lancaster
.
The Lancaster from No. 38 Squadron RAF
was following HMS Gambia and other RN ships on an anti-submarine exercise. The seven crew on the Lancaster and all on board the Valetta were killed.
s, heavy rain and hail
and no blame could be attached to any individual. Evidence did reveal that though the Malta Flight Information Centre were not in possession of full information on the Lancaster's sortie, it was not a contributory cause.
United Kingdom military aircraft serials
In the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...
a twin-engined Vickers Valetta
Vickers Valetta
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1....
transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) collided over the Mediterranean Sea with a four-engined RAF Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
maritime patrol
Maritime patrol
Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities....
aircraft. A total of 26 people were killed.
Accident
The Valetta had departed RAF LuqaRAF Luqa
Royal Air Force Luqa was a flying station and location of RAF Mediterranean Command headquarters of the Royal Air Force on the island of Malta during World War II...
with 16 passengers (15 airmen and one Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(RN) sailor) on a return flight to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. When just before 05:00 the Valleta was between Pantellaria and Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
it collided in poor visibility and heavy rain with the Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
.
The Lancaster from No. 38 Squadron RAF
No. 38 Squadron RAF
No. 38 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a bomber squadron formed in 1916 and was disbanded for the last time in 1967.-World War I :...
was following HMS Gambia and other RN ships on an anti-submarine exercise. The seven crew on the Lancaster and all on board the Valetta were killed.
Rescue and aftermath
The Gambia and other ships searched the scene for survivors, but only wreckage was found. Later the destroyer HMS Chieftain searched east of Pantellaria when a note case belonging to one of the Lancaster crew was found, without success.Investigation
The court of inquiry decided that the weather conditions at the time were a factor with localized thunderstormThunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s, heavy rain and hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
and no blame could be attached to any individual. Evidence did reveal that though the Malta Flight Information Centre were not in possession of full information on the Lancaster's sortie, it was not a contributory cause.