1953 Mediterranean Sea Lancaster and Valetta mid-air collision

1953 Mediterranean Sea Lancaster and Valetta mid-air collision

Accident summary
Date	15 January 1953
Summary	Mid-air collision
Site	over the Strait of Sicily
Total injuries (non-fatal)	0
Total fatalities	26
Total survivors	0
First aircraft
Type	Vickers Valetta C1
Operator	Royal Air Force
Registration	VX562
Flight origin	RAF Luqa
Passengers	16
Crew	3
Injuries (non-fatal)	0
Fatalities	19
Second aircraft
Type	Avro Lancaster GR3
Operator	Royal Air Force
Registration	TX270
Crew	7
Injuries (non-fatal)	0
Fatalities	7
Survivors	0

On the 15 January 1953, VX562, a twin-engined Vickers Valetta transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF), collided over the Mediterranean Sea with a four-engined RAF Avro Lancaster maritime patrol aircraft. A total of 26 people were killed.

Accident

The Valetta had departed RAF Luqa with 16 passengers (15 airmen and one Royal Navy (RN) sailor) on a return flight to the United Kingdom. When just before 05:00 the Valleta was between Pantellaria and Sicily it collided in poor visibility and heavy rain with the Avro Lancaster.

The Lancaster from No. 38 Squadron RAF was following HMS Gambia and other RN ships on an anti-submarine exercise. The seven crew on the Lancaster and all on board the Valetta were killed.

Rescue and aftermath

The Gambia and other ships searched the scene for survivors, but only wreckage was found. Later the destroyer HMS Chieftain searched east of Pantellaria when a note case belonging to one of the Lancaster crew was found, without success.

Investigation

The court of inquiry decided that the weather conditions at the time were a factor with localized thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail and no blame could be attached to any individual. Evidence did reveal that though the Malta Flight Information Centre were not in possession of full information on the Lancaster's sortie, it was not a contributory cause.