The Wellington Bomber and Loch Ness

On New Years Eve in 1940 a training flight went horribly wrong when a Wellington N2980 Bomber suffered engine failure. Most of the crew was ordered to bail out, leaving the Captain and a second pilot to deal with the failing aircraft. Luckily, the pilots spotted a nearby body of water and managed to make a perfect landing on Loch Ness - bailing from the bomber before it vanished beneath the water. Aside from one fatality when a parachute failed to open the crew survived the ordeal. The plane, unfortunately, was lost beneath the waters of the Loch.

The wreck had lain beneath the water for almost 40 years before divers stumbled across the wreckage in almost perfect condition. It was finally recovered from its watery bed in September, 1985. The aircraft is now in Brooklands Museum, Weybridge and is one of two Wellington Bombers still intact. Information from the World War 2 in the Highlands online resource.