Operation: Operation Plainfare

Date: 22nd March 1949 (Tuesday)

Unit No: 24 Squadron ('In omnia parati' - Prepared for all things/Ready for anything), 46 Group, Transport Command

Type: Dakota C.IV

Serial: KJ970

Code: Not known

Base: RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire

Location: Lübeck, Germany

Pilot: Flt Lt. Mel Joseph Quinn 412688 RAAF Age 26. Killed (1)

Nav: Fg Off. Kenneth Arthur Reeves 59342 RAF Age 29. Killed

Radio Op: Master Sig. Alan Penny AFC, 552860 RAF Age 26. Killed (2)

Above left to right: Flt Lt. Mel Joseph Quinn and Master Sig. Alan Penny AFC (Courtesy of Priscilla Smith)

REASON FOR LOSS:

The crew were taking part in 'Operation Plainfare' or as more commonly known as the 'Berlin Airlift'.  The crew were on their 8th Plainfare sortie and their 4th of the night.

At 20:42 hrs on the 22nd March 1949 Flt Lt. Quinn and crew from 24 Sqn took off from RAF Gatow in Dakota KJ970 on a return flight to RAF Lübeck after completing an ‘Operation Plainfare’ sortie.

At approximately 21:45 hrs a wave of three (3) aircraft of which KJ970 was one, arrived at RAF Lübeck where the weather conditions were visibility, 1¾ miles, 5/8th cloud cover and surface wind at 260 Degrees at 7 knots.

• Note: Limitations laid down for the airfield were cloud base 500 ft with visibility 1500 yards.

The first aircraft in the wave made a Blind Approach Beam System (BABS) aided approach, landed at 21:45 hrs and reported that the BABS equipment as accurate.  The second aircraft, Dakota KJ970, made R/T contact at 21:40 hrs reporting that they were ten (10) miles from the stacking beacon and the aircraft as serviceable.  In reply Air Traffic Control (ATC) informed the pilot that he was clear to let down to 2,500 ft at the stacking beacon and also passed the QNH and told the pilot to make an approach onto Runway 26.  The aircraft called Lübeck when it was five (5) miles downwind and later when it was five (5) miles on finals.  No further messages were received from the aircraft.

At approximately 22:05 hrs two (2) German civilians observed an aircraft, later found to be Dakota KJ970, flying at about 650 ft outlined by the airfield sodium lights.  It appeared to be on a level keel and flying in a southerly direction.  It continued to fly in this direction for some 300 or 400 yards and turned suddenly to port losing height rapidly striking the ground and bursting into flames.

The Pilot and Navigator were fatally injured in the crash and the Signaller received serious injures from which he died 2½ hours later.  From the line of wreckage it was deduced that the aircraft struck the ground on a heading of 130 degrees.

The findings of the Court of Inquiry presumed:

• That upon breaking cloud the Pilot did not continue to follow the BABS, but endeavoured to orientate himself on the lights he could see;

• He was dazzled by the sodium lights;

• He failed to see the runway lights and followed the curve of sodium lights to his left.  He flew over them and lost the lights altogether;

• He turned to Port in an endeavour to re-establish visual contact with the lights instead of carrying overshoot procedures.

(1)  The following is a precise of Mel Joseph Quinn service history:

• From 1936 Mel attended St. Joseph's College, Hunter's Hill, attaining his Leaving Certificate in December 1939.  He then worked as a shop assistant at Mark Foy's Ltd in Sydney.

• He enlisted as an airman in the RAAF on the 20th July 1941 and began pilot training.  On the 25th June 1942 he graduated and was appointed to a commission as a Plt Off. and was presented with his Pilot’s Wings.  He then embarked at Sydney on the 24th August 1942 arrived in the UK on the 18th November 1942.
• He was promoted Fg Off. on the 25th December 1942 and commenced further pilot training at No. 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit (5(P)AFU).  A month later he undertook type training on the Spitfire at 52 Operational Training Unit (52 OTU) and upon completion he was posted to 453 Sqn, RAAF on the 1st June 1943 which was flying the Spitfire VC.

• After completing his first tour with thirty (30) sorties he was posted to India on the 16th March 1943.  He was promoted to Flt Lt. before joining 30 Sqn in September.  He transitioned onto flying the Thunderbolt II (P-47) at No. 1670 (Thunderbolt) Conversion Unit at Yelahanka.  His record shows that he only flew only one (1) operational sortie with 30 Sqn before being appointed on the 14th November 1944 to command 336 Maintenance Unit (336 MU) at Trichinopoly, in southern India.

• From early in 1945 he served in staff posts on the headquarters of 228 Group in Calcutta, followed by RAF Headquarters at Rangoon, Burma.  He returned to Australia in October and was demobilised on the 18th December 1945. In civilian life, he became a salesman once more.

• On 25th November 1946 Quinn re-enlisted and was appointed to a Commission in the General Duties Branch Citizen Air Force.  He was then transferred to a Permanent Commission as a Flt Lt. in the RAAF on the 23rd September 1948.

• He served as assistant camp commandant at Bradfield Park, Sydney and on recruiting duties at Headquarters Southern Area.  On the 21st May 1947 he was posted to 37 (Transport) Sqn at RAAF Station Schofields in New South Wales, as the Squadron Operations Officer.

• On the 14th November 1947 he and his wife, Irene, embarked for Britain for service with the RAF, this time as co-pilot in one of two five-man RAAF crews posted to 24 (Commonwealth) Squadron.

• On arrival, he and Flt Lt. Clarrie Donnelly, the co-pilot of the second crew, were sent 240 OCU at RAF North Luffenham for conversion onto the Dakota.  This was followed by transport support training at RAF Netheravon.  On the 29th September 1948 he joined 46 Sqn and then 24 Sqn on the 14th December.  He was then seconded to the Berlin Airlift and attached to 27 Sqn.

• Flt Lt. Quinn had flown a total of 720 hrs, 48 hrs at night, solo on all types of which 389 hrs, 38 at night had been on the Dakota.  He had also flown 86 hrs by instruments and had 65 hrs on the Link trainer.

His brother, then a Sqn Ldr., was the pilot of 8 Sqn RAAF, Beaufort A9-262 which was shot down on the 4th December 1943.  He became a PoW of the Japanese and survived his captivity.  One of his crew was murdered by the Japanese and two (2) of his crew were posted MiA.

Noel retired from the RAAF as a Group Captain with the DFC and 2 Bars and the Honorary appointment as an Air Commodore.

(2) Master Sig. Alan Penny was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) which was posthumously promulgated in the London Gazette on the 9th June 1949 and the 15th July 1949.

Above: Burial and Military Guard of Honour provided by the RAAF Regiment for the Flt Lt. Mel Joseph Quinn, Fg Off. Kenneth Arthur Reeves and Master Sig. Alan Penny AFC (Courtesy of Priscilla Smith)

BURIAL DETAILS:

Above: Grave Marker for Flt Lt. Mel Joseph Quinn (From his Repatriation File)

Flt Lt. Mel Joseph Quinn.  Ohlsdorf Military Cemetery, Plot XI, Row B, Grave 9.  Grave Inscription: “YOUR COURAGE AND LOVE SO SADLY MISSED BY MARGARET AND SON”.  Born on the 18th June 1922 at West Maitland, New South Wales.  Son of Matthew Joseph and Mary Quinn of Surfside Avenue, Clovelly, Sydney, Australia.  Husband of Margaret Irene (née Squelch) Quinn of Therfield, Royston, Hertfordshire, England. His son was born in September 1949, six months after his death.

Above:  Grave marker for Fg Off. Kenneth Arthur Reeves (Courtesy of Ralph McLean – FindAGrave)

Fg Off. Kenneth Arthur Reeves.  Ohlsdorf Military Cemetery, Plot 1, Row B, Grave 8.  Grave Inscription: “IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF KEN”.  Born on the 5th January 1920 in Johannesburg, Belgravia, South Africa.  Son of Arthur Philip and Gussy Maru (née Davies) Reeves of Poplar, London, England.  Husband of Joan Ethel May (née Triggs) Reeves of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England.

Above: Grave marker for Master Sig. Alan Penny AFC (Courtesy of Priscilla Smith)

Master Sig. Alan Penny AFC.  Ohlsdorf Military Cemetery, Plot 1, Row B, Grave 7.  Grave Inscription: “TO THE DEAR MEMORY OF ALAN HE GAVE HIS LIFE SHALL FIND IT”.  Born on the 27th April 1922.  Husband to Elsie May Penny of Royston, Hertfordshire, England.

Researched by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) and dedicated to the relatives of this crew (29th Sep 2018) . Thanks to Ralph Snape for further details (26th Jul 2024).  Reviewed and updated with new information and images with thanks to Priscilla Smith, a relative of Alan Penny, for the burial ceremony and his images (8th Nov 2026).

Other sources listed below