Consolidated B-24H Liberator
RAF Serial: AL546
A&AEE
Crew: Four survivors
Date: 24th March 1942
Place: Race Farm, near Upton / South Lytchett Manor

Liberator AL546 took off from Boscombe Down at 1448 hours on the 24th March, 1942. This was a Mark II aircraft with slightly over 47 hours on the airframe, and its duty was detailed as experimental non-operational flying training with the A&AEE. At the controls as pilot was W/Cdr. J.W. McGuire, AFC. His hours on Liberators totalled 32, and on all types, an impressive 1,760 hours. His co-pilot was W/O. F.J. Robinson, this was to be his first flight on this type. The flight engineer was Cpl. R.M. Leach, assisted by AC1 B.G. Hibbs. Also on board, as civilian technical observer, was Mr J. J. Unwin of the Scientific Office of the Ministry of Aircraft Production.

After nearly two hours of flight, the aircraft was in the vicinity of Poole at 5,000 feet. The aircraft had been engaged on partial climbs at an all-up weight of 50,000lbs. The flight so far had been troublesome, as electrical problems had been encountered from the outset of the flight. With these problems apparently overcome, the crew noticed that the starboard outer engine nacelle was on fire. A sudden change in lateral trim was felt, and McGuire immediately ordered “abandon aircraft”. Ground observers stated that the fire was seen many minutes before anyone left the aircraft.

One of these ground observers was Mr J. Soffe. He recalls seeing the aircraft flying a straight course north-west from Poole on a bright, sunny afternoon, with black smoke pouring back from an engine. As he watched, part of the wing broke away and spun down; the aircraft then immediately went into a very fast spin. Simultaneously, he saw the parachutes of the crew members who had bailed open. This was quickly followed by a huge cloud of black smoke going up as AL546 hit the ground. The whole scene was made more unreal for him as he heard the whine of the plane going down and the crash of the aircraft hitting after the cloud of smoke went up.

What had actually happened was that the engine fire had weakened the wing structure, and this had caused the wing outboard of the starboard outer to break away. The starboard outer, RAF no. 8670, makers’ no. 204903, with 64 hours of running time and seven months after installation, then broke away from the airframe. The 14-cylinder Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp radial plummeted into the ground near the Beacon Hill anti-aircraft site at Upton.

Three of the crew and the civilian technical observer managed to parachute to safety out of the open bomb bay. W/O. Robinson was injured in a bad landing, and AC1 Hibbs landed upside down in a tall tree. All four came down around South Lytchett Manor. Unfortunately, W/Cdr. McGuire was unable to get out. He had held the aircraft steady against the changes in lateral trim whilst his crew had bailed, but as soon as they were clear, he had become trapped by the vicious earthwards spin.

At 1650 hours, 2 hours and 2 minutes after take-off, Liberator AL546 crashed at Race Farm, behind Mr Abbot’s farmhouse, killing McGuire instantly.

There were almost 1,500 gallons of aviation fuel left on board, and this erupted into a terrific fire. Burning fuel cascaded onto the roof of the nearby farmhouse and set it on fire as well. Pieces of twisted Duralumin sheet, many stamped “Alclad,” were scattered across the Huntick road and around the massive crater.

The Accident Investigation Branch of the RAF investigated the crash and spent several weeks at the crash site. Arc lights were set up around the crater, and the recovery operation and search for the engines continued into the hours of darkness each night.

Although the four who bailed were extremely lucky to escape when they did, their luck did not hold. Mr J. Unwin, who was killed when Halifax W7917 crashed at Sutton Scotney on the 4th February 1943, where he was once again acting as technical observer. W/O Robinson was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and was killed in a mid-air collision along with R.M. Leach on the 10th September, 1943. The Lancaster he was piloting, JA894, was in collision with Oxford EB987 near High Post airfield. Only the 2nd Engineer survived the war and, indeed, Mr Hibbs now lives in Dorset.

Today, it is difficult to see where AL546 crashed as the RAF was fairly efficient in their recovery operation; also, the area has been planted over with pine trees, and this has softened the contours of the crater. But some relics were missed, and a twisted propeller blade, an engine valve, and a plate stating “Curtiss Electric Propellers” were recovered.

A small testament to the sacrifice of McGuire.