What happened
The incident occurred during a night training mission involving a twin-engine aircraft. Shortly after departing from RAF Windrush, the aircraft encountered a Luftwaffe Heinkel He.111 in the airspace. The Heinkel was engaged in a bombing operation targeting RAF Brize Norton but appears to have misidentified Windrush as its intended destination. This navigational error led to an in-flight collision between the two airframes. Following the impact, both aircraft crashed to the ground. The accident resulted in fatal injuries for all personnel on board the twin-engine trainer, with a total of five crew members killed.
Findings
The primary contributing factor identified was the misidentification of the target location by the crew of the Heinkel He.111. By mistaking RAF Windrush for RAF Brize Norton, the heavy bomber entered the immediate vicinity of the training area, creating a hazardous conflict with the departing trainer. The source material does not provide further technical details regarding mechanical failures or specific pilot error on the part of the trainer crew beyond the collision event itself.