What happened
On the evening of March 13, 1945, an Avro Lancaster, registration TX264, departed from RAF Kinloss at 1800LT to perform a scheduled night navigation training exercise. Approximately six and a half hours into the flight, the crew transmitted a position report indicating they were located roughly 60 miles north of Cape Wrath. Following this transmission, all radio communication with the aircraft ceased.
When the aircraft failed to return to its home base or arrive at any alternative airfield by the following morning, an extensive search operation was launched. Various aircraft from several Scottish airfields participated in the search, but no trace of the plane was found initially. On March 17, reports surfaced regarding a red flash observed in the Torridon region near the time of the disappearance. This led to aerial surveys of the Torridon mountains, which eventually located the burnt-out remains of the aircraft high on the northern face of Beinn Eighe, specifically at the top of the Triple Buttress cliffs.
Attempts by ground teams to reach the wreckage were immediately hampered by severe weather conditions and heavy snow accumulation. Due to the lack of specialized equipment and the treacherous terrain, the site could not be reached for several weeks. It was not until late March that an RAF Mountain Rescue Team from Kinloss successfully accessed the crash site to begin recovering the eight crew members who perished in the accident.
Findings
- The wreckage was located at a high altitude on the cliffs of Beinn Eighe.
- Severe weather and deep snow prevented immediate ground access to the site.
- The recovery process for the final crew member was delayed until August 1951, when melting snow finally revealed his remains.