Incident Overview
An aircraft operated by 224 Squadron on a mission to assist a Royal Air Force Halifax crew that had diverted to Lisbon was forced to ditch in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 56 kilometers south of Cadiz. The flight, originating from Gibraltar, encountered deteriorating weather conditions over the ocean. The pilot initially decided to divert to Tangiers and later to Cadiz, but fuel shortage ultimately compelled a ditching.
Crew and Passengers
On board were five individuals: the pilot, F/O Wilson; the navigator, F/O Ferguson; the wireless operator, F/Lt Joseph Charles Laurier Roger Labelle; and two passengers, F/O Miller and SAC C. Chambers. A third passenger, Sgt Dobbs, did not survive the ditching. The radio operator managed to transmit a brief message before the aircraft struck the water and sank.
Survival and Rescue
Following the ditching, three crew members and two passengers successfully took refuge in a dinghy. Sgt Dobbs drowned before reaching the dinghy. The fate of the survivors after the ditching is not detailed in the available records.
Probable Cause
The official finding attributes the accident to fuel exhaustion in bad weather.