Castle Archdale - Castle Archdale

On February 11, 1945 at 12:00 AM, Castle Archdale - Castle Archdale experienced a crash involving Short S.25 Sunderland, operated by Royal Canadian Air Force - RCAF, with the event recorded near Irvinestown Fermanagh.

The flight was categorized as survey / patrol / reconnaissance and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a plain, valley crash site.

9 people were known to be on board, 9 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 9, crew fatalities: 9, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. Few minutes after takeoff from RAF Castle Archdale, while climbing, an engine caught fire. The pilot lost control of the aircraft that crashed in a pasture located three miles east of Irvinestown. All 9 crew members were killed. They were engaged in a patrol mission. Crew (423rd Squadron): F/O James Robert Seeger, pilot, F/O Terence Ramsay Hailstone, copilot, F/Lt John David Ross, navigator, F/O John Alexander McLennan, pilot, F/O Charles Edward Cruickshank, flight engineer, Sgt Philip Woollatt, wireless operator and air gunner, Sgt Edward Frederick Knibbs, wireless operator and air gunner, Sgt Morley Wilbee, air gunner, Sgt Jack Gingrich, air gunner.

Aircraft reference details include registration NJ183.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 54.4720°, -7.6335°.