 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 4 July 1943 |
| Summary | Crashed on take-off due to control jam |
| Site | Gibraltar Airport 36°09′09″N 05°19′48″W / 36.15250°N 5.33000°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Consolidated B-24 Liberator |
| Operator | Royal Air Force 511 Squadron |
| Registration | AL523 |
| Last stopover | Gibraltar |
| Destination | London |
| Occupants | 17 |
| Passengers | 11 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 16 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
On 4 July 1943, a Liberator II aircraft crashed off Gibraltar shortly after takeoff, killing all but one of the seventeen people on board. Among the victims were several senior Polish military leaders, including General Władysław Sikorski, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile. The plane's pilot was the only survivor.
The crash was ruled to have been an accident, but the conclusion sparked controversy on Sikorski's death, with several alternative theories put forward. The crash marked a turning point for Polish influence on their Anglo-American allies in World War II.