Request for assistance: How to interpret an RAF Accident Card (MFC77)?

[JensPlahte]

Hi all. I am a complete newbie to this forum. I hope it's okay that I ask for assistance in interpreting an RAF Accident Card (MFC77) that was kindly sent to me by the RAF Museum. I also hope it's okay to upload the card itself. I have the following details in place already:
ID: LN 531
Aircraft: Vickers Wellington
Unit: Royal Air Force No. 16 Operational Training Unit RAF
Crash date: 11. Dec. 1943
Crash site: Little Rollright, Oxfordshire

The entire crew perished. One of them was my grandfather's brother. Hence my interest in the subject matter.

I have found some information at:

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/246174

and

chippingnortonroyalbritishlegion.com

I am hoping that some additional information could be gathered from the card. I would be grateful for any assistance that may be provided by members of the forum.

Kind regards, Jens Plahte, Oslo, Norway

 

[Sabrejet]

Aircraft details on front sheet; pilot on reverse. Court of Inquiry found faulty descent through cloud procedure by pilot; AOC and AOC-in-C concurred. Duration of flight: 5 hrs 35 mins, crash at 23:03 hrs.

Pilot with 203 hrs solo; 62 on type, of which 49 at night and 33 on type. Looks like '192' was corrected by the Court of Inquiry to 203 (possibly including recent/last sortie)

Crew details will be available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.

 

[Retattack]

Hi all. I am a complete newbie to this forum. I hope it's okay that I ask for assistance in interpreting an RAF Accident Card (MFC77) that was kindly sent to me by the RAF Museum. I also hope it's okay to upload the card itself. I have the following details in place already:
ID: LN 531
Aircraft: Vickers Wellington
Unit: Royal Air Force No. 16 Operational Training Unit RAF
Crash date: 11. Dec. 1943
Crash site: Little Rollright, Oxfordshire

The entire crew perished. One of them was my grandfather's brother. Hence my interest in the subject matter.

I have found some information at:

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/246174

and

chippingnortonroyalbritishlegion.com

I am hoping that some additional information could be gathered from the card. I would be grateful for any assistance that may be provided by members of the forum.

Kind regards, Jens Plahte, Oslo, Norway

I'm the opposite of an expert, but found this fascinating. I knew there was extensive use of early computer-type cards for various information, but had never seen this version before. Thanks for posting.

I can't be of much help deciphering the technical data on the card, but the comments appear to me to be [with my interpretation of acronyms in brackets]:

A/C flew into ground at high speed - reason N/K [not known]
C of I [cause of incident] faulty descent thru cloud procedure by pilot
AOC & AOC in C [Air Officer Commanding and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief] concur

Found two other google hits on this incident. First here: (page 59)

LN531. Wellington X of 16 OTU Upper Heyford. Hit ground coming out of cloud at night, Little Rollright Ox. 7k.

And secondly here:

16 Operational Training Unit RAF Upper Heyford, Wellington X aircraft LN 531 flew into high ground in extremely poor visibility conditions at Little Rollright near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England

Sergeant HO Mitchell (RCAF), Sergeant BN Redmond (RCAF), Sergeant J Foote (RCAF), FS E Leseberg (RAAF), Sergeant E Harris (RAFVR), Sergeant VM Plahte (RNAF) and Sergeant F Nichols (RAFVR) were all killed

Sergeant Mitchell was BROTHER to Sergeant James Walton Mitchell (RCAF), killed 1944-08-21 on 415 Sqn Halifax NA 609 QO-X, involved in a mid-air collision with 415 Sqn Halifax MZ 633 QO-B

From which I'd conclude the Wellington was on a night training mission and (piloted by Flight Sergeant D. E. Leseberg of the Royal Australian Air Force) descended through a low cloud deck and impacted the ground at a high rate of speed.