Environmental Impact - Crashed Planes
Ardnamurchan


Photograph Copyright Alan L Clark.
www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk
A Hawker Hurricane LF207 of 516 Squadron crashed near Kilchoan, on the most westerly part of the British mainland - the Ardnamurchan peninsular, on the 6th February 1944.

This is all that remains of the Hurricane that flew into the hill just above Kilchoan. Much of the aircraft seemed to have ended up two small lochans (lakes or pools) behind where these parts were found.

These parts had recently been recovered from the water. This picture  shows the size of the wreckage that is left, compared to a rucksack, only just over 1 ft in length.

Tomatin


Photograph Copyright Alan L Clark.
www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk

A Whitley of 19 Operational Training Unit, flew into Carn a Choire Mhoir near Tomatin whilst on an evening training flight from RAF Kinloss on the 6th January 1942

You can still see the burnt out centre section of the aircraft. Nearby is the aircraft's port wing, still with the Bomber Command paint scheme visible.

Glen Affric


Photograph Copyright Alan L Clark.
www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk

A Vickers Wellington 20 Operational Training Unit, crashed on the 13th February 1942 in Glen Affric, 20 miles ESE of Kyle of Lochalsh. There are no details of the crew onboard.

 A general view of what happened is that the aircraft had suffered an engine failure and the other engine was not powerful enough to keep it at a safe height above the mountains so the crew abandoned the aircraft.

The engine in the centre of the picture is probably the offending item, as it is relatively intact where as the other was totally destroyed


Vatersay

Between the shoreline and the road as it skirts the north side of Vatersay Bay is the very obvious wreckage of an aircraft scattered amongst the heather. These are the remains of an RAF Catalina flying boat which crashed on the 12 May 1944 during a training flight from Oban.

Three of the nine men on board were killed. As you look at the wreckage the most surprising thing at all is that any one could possibly have survived.



Although not attacked by enemy fire, none the less the airmen who died in these
tragic accidents were casualties of the war and gave their lives in the defence of their country