On July 3, 1943, a Fokker F22 (registration HM159) operated by Royal Air Force - RAF was involved in an aviation accident near Loch Tarbert, United Kingdom in flight. 20 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: An inflight fire, possibly ignited by a cigarette, led to loss of control and the subsequent crash. 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.
An aircraft caught fire while flying from Tiree Island to Glasgow. The pilot attempted an emergency landing but lost control, resulting in the loss of all 20 occupants.
What happened
During a flight from Tiree Island to Glasgow, a fire broke out on board the aircraft. In response to the emergency, the pilot lowered the altitude with the intention of making an immediate landing. However, control of the airplane was lost during this maneuver. The aircraft subsequently crashed into Loch Tarbert, approximately 300 metres offshore from the coast. The impact destroyed the airframe completely. All 20 occupants on board were killed in the accident.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the disaster was triggered by an inflight fire. The specific origin of the blaze was determined to be possibly caused by a cigarette.
Probable cause
An inflight fire, possibly ignited by a cigarette, led to loss of control and the subsequent crash.
An X-AIR HAWK ultralight crashed in Chonburi, Thailand, killing the pilot and injuring a passenger. The accident was caused by deteriorated wing fabric and…
A Challenger II Special ultralight aircraft (U-B23) landed off-runway at Pai Airport, Mae Hong Son, on September 17, 2024, due to a gust of wind. No injuries…
The Polish aviation safety authority is investigating a serious incident involving an AT-3R100 aircraft that occurred on September 2, 2024. The investigation…
A SZD-48-3 glider suffered damage when its left wing struck a ground obstacle during a low final approach at EPWK on June 20, 2025. The pilot was uninjured.
A 39-year-old skydiver died after a hard landing near Leszno on May 1, 2026. The PKBWL preliminary report indicates the fatal impact resulted from a late,…
A student pilot crashed an SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider into the airfield fence during a solo training flight on June 6, 2026. The pilot was uninjured, but the…