Liberator AM260 - Ferry Flight - 1941-08-14 to 1941-08-14
Squadron: (Ferry) FU (RAF)
Start Date: 1941-08-14
Completion Date: 1941-08-14
Mission: Ferry Flight
Operation: unspecified
Target City:
Target Specific:
Base: Ayr, Scotland
Take Off Time:
Squadron Code:
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: Scotland
Crash Specifics: Heathfield Aerodrome, Ayr
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: piloterror
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim:
War Diary Unavailable
6 Group Unavailable

RAF Ferry Command, Return Ferry Service Liberator I aircraft AM 260 crashed and burned when it veered off the runway while taking-off from Heathfield Aerodrome, Ayr, Scotland for a return flight to Ferry Command Headquarters in Dorval Quebec, killing all 22 civilian aircrew and passengers:

  • (Pilot) EB Anding, American civilian, Air Transport Auxiliary
  • (Pilot) MB Dilley, American civilian
  • Pilot) AC Earl, American civilian
  • (Pilot) E Hamel, American civilian
  • (Pilot) G Hull, American civilian
  • (Pilot) JJ Kerwin, American civilian
  • (Pilot) PF Lee Jr., Air Transport Auxiliary, American civilian
  • (Pilot) JJ Moffat, Canadian civilian
  • (Pilot/Captain) Captain RC Stafford DFM, BOAC, British civilian
  • (Pilot) WL Trimble, Air Transport Auxiliary, American civilian
  • (Pilot) EW Watson, American civilian
  • (Pilot) MJ Wetzel, Air Transport Auxiliary, American civilian
  • (Radio Officer) R Coates, Canadian civilian
  • (Radio Officer) JP Culbert, British civilian
  • (Radio Officer) RA Duncan, Canadian civilian
  • (Radio Officer) WFJ Goddard, Canadian civilian
  • (Radio Officer) DN Hannant, Canadian civilian
  • (Radio Officer) JJ MacDonald, Canadian civilian
  • (Radio Officer) G McKay, Canadian civilian
  • (Radio Officer) A Tamblin, Canadian civilian
  • (Flight Engineer) RF Davis, American civilian
  • Canadian civilian passenger Sir Arthur Blaikie Purvis Sr., Head of the British Purchasing Commission (resident of Montreal)

    • This was the second serious crash of a Return Ferry Service LB-30 Liberator in 4 days. Please see Liberator I aircraft AM 261 for more detail and casualty list on this other tragic crash

    Combined, the two aircraft crashes were a significant blow to the ability of Ferry Command to effectively conduct operations

    These two events may have been the inspiration for the plot device that put the actors into Ferry Command Hudson aircraft in the Warner Brothers propaganda movie on the RCAF, "Captains of the Clouds" being filmed in Canada at the time the crashes occurred

    Ocean Bridge, The History of RAF Ferry Command by Carl A Christie pages 310-11

    The Liberator in Royal Air Force and Commonwealth Service by James D Oughton with John Hamlin and Andrew Thomas pages 33,115

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