August 1942 Dunbeath Air Crash
Short Sunderland Mk. III (similar aircraft)
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 25 August 1942 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Eagle's Rock, near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland. 58°14.1781′N 3°30.5338′W / 58.2363017°N 3.5088967°WCoordinates: 58°14.1781′N 3°30.5338′W / 58.2363017°N 3.5088967°W |
| Passengers | 4 |
| Crew | 11 |
| Fatalities | 14 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
| Aircraft type | Short Sunderland Mk. III |
| Operator | No. 18 Group, Royal Air Force |
| Registration | W4026 |
| Flight origin | RAF Invergordon, Scotland |
| Destination | RAF Reykjavik, Iceland |
The August 1942 Dunbeath Air Crash involved the loss of a Mark 3 Short S.25 Sunderland that crashed in the Scottish Highlands on a headland known as Eagle's Rock near Dunbeath, Caithness on 25 August 1942. The crash killed 14 of 15 passengers and crew, including HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent who was on duty as an Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force on a mission to Reykjavik; a loss keenly felt by the British Prime Minister. A Royal Air Force Board of Inquiry determined that the crash was the result of a navigational error by the crew.
The aircraft, assigned to 228 Squadron, was based at RAF Oban. 228 Squadron was part of 18 Group, involved in long range maritime operations and particularly anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance and long range liaison flights.
The aircraft and crew were assigned a VIP transport mission to RAF Reykjavik, specifically to transport Prince George, Duke of Kent to Iceland. The aircraft departed from a seaplane base at RAF Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth at 1305 GMT on Sunday 25 August 1942 into foggy weather. The Sunderland (flying on instruments) veered off its flight plan track and crashed into the remote Eagle's Rock at 13:42 GMT. The official board of inquiry concluded that the plane crashed into the hillside due to an error of navigation; i.e. there was not enough allowance made for wind that caused the aircraft to drift off its planned track up the eastern coast of Scotland. Fourteen of the fifteen crew and passengers, including the Duke of Kent, perished in the crash.
The following personnel died in the crash:
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