No fatalities

Night training exercise ends in ditching off Dovercourt Bay (K6174)

Dovercourt, United KingdomFlight

On December 1, 1938, an Avro 652 Anson (registration K6174) operated by Royal Air Force - RAF was involved in an aviation accident near Dovercourt, United Kingdom in flight. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Engine failure in flight. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-08-04Data APIEditorial standards

A four-crew aircraft ditched into Dovercourt Bay after an engine failure during a night training flight along the British coast. All personnel were rescued, though the airframe was lost.

What happened

The incident occurred during a night training exercise originating from Manton. The crew was navigating along the British coastline when they experienced a mechanical issue involving one of the engines. In response to the failure, the captain lowered the aircraft's altitude and executed a controlled ditching in Dovercourt Bay, located approximately one mile offshore. Despite the loss of the airframe, all four members of the crew were successfully rescued from the water.

Findings

At the time of the accident, weather conditions were reported as poor. The official investigation identified engine failure in flight as the primary cause of the incident.

Probable cause

Engine failure in flight