What happened
During a visual flight rules (VFR) cruise at an altitude of 4,500 feet over the Coventry region, an Anson collided with a British European Airways Convair C-47. The C-47, registered as G-AHCW, was operating a scheduled service from Northolt to Glasgow and was carrying four crew members and six passengers at the time of the incident.
Following the impact, both aircraft lost control and descended rapidly into the terrain near Exhall, located north of Coventry. The crash resulted in the loss of all 14 lives aboard the two aircraft combined.
Findings
The official investigation determined that the accident was caused by a midair collision. Analysis indicated that neither pilot took any evasive action to avoid the other aircraft. Consequently, it was concluded that the Anson pilot failed to spot the Dakota, and the Dakota pilots failed to see the Anson. This mutual lack of visual detection was attributed to a failure by the captain of each aircraft to maintain an effective lookout.