Leeds - Carlisle

On October 17, 1961 at 09:35 AM, Leeds - Carlisle experienced a crash involving Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3), operated by BKS Air Transport, with the event recorded near Mt Croglin Fell Cumbria.

The flight was categorized as positioning and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

4 people were known to be on board, 4 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 4, crew fatalities: 4, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The crew was completing a positioning flight from Leeds-Bradford to Carlisle Airport where a delegation of farmers should be pick up on a charter flight to Hawarden. On descent, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and lost his orientation, passing over RAF Crosby at 0900LT without any visual contact with the ground. Thirty-five minutes later, ATC lost contact with the crew and the aircraft that struck the slope of Mt Croglin Fell located in the North Pennines mountains, about 7 miles southeast of Carlisle Airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all four crew members were killed. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor with low clouds, gusty winds and heavy rain falls. Crew: H. L. Mose, pilot, A. Francis, copilot, C. N. Wildman, pilot Valerie Christian, stewardess.

Aircraft reference details include registration G-AMVC, MSN 16642/33390, year of manufacture 1945.