1949 Exhall mid-air collision

Occurrence
Date	19 February 1949
Summary	Mid-air collision
Site	Exhall, Warwickshire, United Kingdom 52°28′05″N 1°30′40″W / 52.468°N 1.511°W / 52.468; -1.511
Total fatalities	14
Total injuries	0
Total survivors	0
First aircraft
A similar Douglas C-47A at Manchester Ringway Airport in 1949
Type	Douglas Dakota
Operator	British European Airways
Registration	G-AHCW
Flight origin	Northolt Airport, England, United Kingdom
Destination	Glasgow-Renfrew Airport, Scotland, United Kingdom
Passengers	6
Crew	4
Fatalities	10
Injuries	0
Survivors	0
Second aircraft
An Avro Anson similar to the accident aircraft
Type	Avro Anson T21
Operator	Royal Air Force
Registration	VV243
Flight origin	RAF Middleton St. George, United Kingdom
Destination	RAF Middleton St. George, United Kingdom
Passengers	0
Crew	4
Fatalities	4
Injuries	0
Survivors	0

The Exhall mid-air collision happened on Saturday 19 February 1949 over the village of Exhall when a British European Airways Douglas DC-3 / Douglas Dakota collided in clear weather with a Royal Air Force Avro Anson T21.^[1]

The Dakota was on a flight from Northolt Airport near London to Glasgow-Renfrew Airport in Scotland. With a crew of four it was carrying six passengers,^[2] and had taken off from Northolt at 09:13.^[3] The Royal Air Force Avro Anson T21 was being operated by No. 2 Air Navigation School on a cross-country training exercise from RAF Middleton St. George.^[2]

The two aircraft collided at 4,500 feet (1,400 m) near the village of Exhall, near Coventry in Warwickshire.^[1][2] The wreckage fell near an old peoples' home, the Exhall Lodge Hospital. There were no survivors.^[2]

Although the weather at the time of the crash was clear,^[4] the accident investigation concluded that the crew of neither aircraft saw each other, possibly due to glare from the sun, and blamed the accident on a failure on the part of both captains to keep a proper look-out for other aircraft.^[3]

References