[Yeomans]

I now have copies of the Aircraft Accident & Incident Reports for the three C-47A's that crashed at Leith Hill in Surrey on 26 November 1944.

A four aircraft formation of C-47's left A-63 (the reports do not mention the location by name) at about 16:40 and proceeded via La Treport and Beachy Head in order to return to their base at Chalgrove in Oxfordshire. The aircraft were flying in a 3 ship V formation with the fourth aircraft piloted by Jacob A Feigion completing the diamond in echelon to the left of the No. 2 aircraft flown by Willard Branit (43-47975).

They crossed the English coast at a height of 1500 ft but dropped down to 1200 ft in an attempt to get under the low clouds they encountered. Just before the accident there was a call from one of the pilots to the lead aircraft, to go down another 200 ft. despite visibility apparently being good and the crews being able to make out objects on the ground. This reduced height would have put the aircraft perilously close to the top of Leith Hill, which the American records state has an altitude of 967MSL.

In his statement, the co-pilot of Feigion’s aircraft (2nd Lt. Aaron Hirsch) recalls :

“During the flight to this point we had at no time lost contact completely with the ground or the other aircraft. Our radio altimeter was set at 450 feet and was operating….it suddenly flashed amber and green intermittently and then red. I reached for the control wheel and at that moment there was a great orange flash just ahead and to the left of us….the first pilot and I both pulled back on the control column, the pilot increased the throttle setting and I increased the RPM. In a few seconds we reached 1500 ft and were in the clear”.

Sadly, they had just witnessed the three other aircraft plunge into the hillside and the loss of 13 of their comrades. Only the navigator (Donald Markey) and engineer (Lester Knorr) from Branit’s plane survived with both miraculously recorded as only having minor injuries. The accident reports do not contain statements from either Markey or Knorr.

The Accident Board determined that this tragic accident “was due to Pilot Error (lead pilot) with weather as a contributing factor”.

There was also a recommendation “that all aircraft equipped with the SCE 717c and Gee installations have installed in the navigation compartment an instrument panel with the altimeter, airspeed indicator and free air temperature gage”.

I would be interested to know if these modifications were made in an attempt to prevent similar accidents.

Also can anyone confirm the location of A-63 ?