14 June 1943 - Crash of a Beaufort into the sea 20 miles east of Townsville

14 JUNE 1943
CRASH OF A BEAUFORT
INTO THE SEA 20 MILES EAST
OF TOWNSVILLE

visits since 17 February 2005

beaufort.jpg (13398 bytes)
Bristol Beaufort

The "Preliminary Report (Internal) of Flying Accident or Forced Landing", RAAF Form P.T. 81, Serial No. 1096 for period 1942/43 provides the following information:-

RAAF Beaufort bomber, A9-295 of 8 Squadron crashed into the sea about 20 miles east of Townsville at 1022 hours Eastern Standard Time on 14 June 1943. It apparently hit the water during a practice torpedo attack.

The crew received minor abrasions and shock.

Flying Officer John Andrew Goodwin (404827) (pilot)
Flying Officer Frederick Albert Dunford Woodbridge (406707)
Sergeant James Keith Sinclair (405943)
Sergeant Norman Jackson Kelly (414045)

The listed "Probable Cause" of the accident was shown as an "error of judgement".

The stated "Extent of Damage" was "Not stated in signal - probably extensive"

NOTE:- I also received information on the above crash from a list of aircraft crashes compiled by Bruce Stewart from a series of books called "Aircraft in Australian Service" by Stewart Wilson.

REFERENCE BOOK

"Diary of WWII - North Queensland"
Complied by Peter Nielsen

"Aircraft and Markings of the RAAF 1939 - 1945"
By Geoffrey Pentland

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