Warbirds of Great Britain

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

The crew was completing a flight from London-Gatwick to Aden with intermediate stops in Nice and Karima, and was supposed to deliver the airplane to Alyemda in Aden. Technical problems occurred on the leg from Gatwick to Nice and the crew was forced to divert to Toulon where spark plugs and carburetor were changed on the left engine. While flying in the region of Karima, the right engine oil pressure and cylinder head temperature exceeded the limits and the propeller oversped. In such conditions, the crew feathered the propeller when the left engine backfired shortly later. The captain decided to make a belly landing in a desert area about 11 km northeast of Karima. While both pilots escaped uninjured, the aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.

Casa 2.111

The airplane departed Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Airport in the early morning on a flight to Bournemouth-Hurn, Dorset, with an intermediate stop in Burgos. While flying under VFR mode in adverse weather conditions, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located near Guadarrama, about 50 km northwest of Cuatro Vientos Airport. The wreckage was found near the Puerto de los Leones Pass and all four occupants were killed. Crew: Neil Williams, pilot. Passengers: Mrs. Williams, Joseph Donaghy, Stephen Parnell.