| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 February 1949 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Site | Exhall, Warwickshire, United Kingdom 52°28′05″N1°30′40″W / 52.468°N 1.511°W |
| Total fatalities | 14 |
| Total injuries | 0 |
| Total survivors | 0 |
| First aircraft | |
 A similar Douglas C-47A at Manchester Ringway Airport in 1949 | |
| Type | Douglas Dakota |
| Operator | British European Airways |
| Registration | G-AHCW |
| Flight origin | Northolt Airport, England, United Kingdom |
| Destination | Glasgow-Renfrew Airport, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Passengers | 6 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
 An Avro Anson similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Type | Avro Anson T21 |
| Operator | Royal Air Force |
| Registration | VV243 |
| Flight origin | RAF Middleton St. George, United Kingdom |
| Destination | RAF Middleton St. George, United Kingdom |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The Exhall mid-air collision happened on Saturday 19 February 1949 over the village of Exhall when a British European Airways Douglas DC-3 / Douglas Dakota collided in clear weather with a Royal Air Force Avro Anson T21. [1]
The Dakota was on a flight from Northolt Airport near London to Glasgow-Renfrew Airport in Scotland. With a crew of four it was carrying six passengers, [2] and had taken off from Northolt at 09:13. [3] The Royal Air Force Avro Anson T21 was being operated by No. 2 Air Navigation School on a cross-country training exercise from RAF Middleton St. George to Chatteris, in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England. [2] [3] It had departed at 8:09, and carried a captain, wireless operator, instructor, and a flight student. [3]
At about 10:00, the two aircraft collided at 4,500 feet (1,400 m) near the village of Exhall, near Coventry in Warwickshire. [1] [2] [4] Witnesses to the accident reported that the Avro struck the Dakota at the root of the airliner's right wing, which was then broken off. [4]
Upon colliding, an explosion destroyed both aircraft and flaming debris fell to the ground. [4] The wreckage fell near an old peoples' home, the Exhall Lodge Hospital, narrowly missing it. [4] . Falling debris landed on rooftops, farms, and roadways, but there were no injuries on the ground. [4] There were no survivors. [2]
Although the weather at the time of the crash was clear, [5] the accident investigation concluded that the crew of neither aircraft saw each other, possibly due to glare from the sun, and blamed the accident on a failure on the part of both captains to keep a proper look-out for other aircraft. [3]