page_title: Beinn Eighe
section_title: Air crash
hierarchical_section_title: Beinn Eighe / Air crash
caption_attribution_description: English: Lancaster wreckage, Coire Mhic Fhearchair. This Merlin engine is part of much scattered wreckage from the Lancaster bomber which crashed into the Triple Buttress headwall on a training flight in 1951, killing all 8 on board.
context_page_description: Beinn Eighe is a complex mountain massif in the Torridon area of Wester Ross in the Highlands of Scotland. Lying to the south of Loch Maree, it forms a long ridge with many spurs and summits, two of which are classified as Munros. The name Beinn Eighe comes from the Scottish Gaelic meaning File Mountain. Unlike most other hills in the area it has a cap of Cambrian basal quartzite which gives the peaks of Beinn Eighe a distinctive light colour. Its complex topography has made it popular with both hillwalkers and climbers and the national nature reserve on its northern side makes it an accessible mountain for all visitors.
context_section_description: The Triple Buttress Corrie was the scene of an aviation tragedy on the night of 13-14 March 1951. An Avro Lancaster crashed about 5 m below the crest of the summit ridge in a gully now known as Fuselage Gulley (or Far West Gulley) above Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair. The aircraft, which was part of 120 Squadron, had taken off from RAF Kinloss around 6 pm for a maritime reconnaissance mission in the vicinity of Rockall and the Faroe Isles, and was due back at around 2:30 am. During the return journey the weather conditions were poor, with freezing temperatures and a strong north-easterly wind. 
  Although experienced local mountaineers offered to assist, the RAF initially determined that the search would be handled by their own search teams. It was not until 16 March (two days after the crash) that the location of the crash was identified, from an Airspeed Oxford taking part in the search. The search had been directed to the Beinn Eighe area as a result of reports from local witnesses, who had seen a red flash over the mountain. The RAF rescue teams arrived at the foot of the mountain on 17 March but despite several attempts were unable to reach the crash site due to the mountainous terrain and adverse winter weather conditions. Finally, two Royal Marine commandos reached the crash site. It was not until nearly 6 months after the incident that the final bodies of the crew were recovered.
  The length of time taken to complete the recovery operation was a key factor in the introduction of formal training courses for the RAF Mountain Rescue Teams; prior to this MRS teams were neither adequately trained nor equipped to undertake recovery operations in such extreme mountainous areas. It also lead to the creation of an Air Ministry post of The  Inspector of Land Rescue (ILR). Similarly, the involvement of local gamekeepers and gillies in removing the bodies was instrumental in the formation of the Kinlochewe and Torridon Mountain Rescue Team.
  The eight crew members who died in the incident were:
  Fl/Lt Harry Smith Reid DFC (29), Pilot, RAF.
  Sgt Ralph Clucas (23), Co-Pilot, RAF.
  Flt Lt Robert Strong (27), Navigator, RAF.
  Fl/Lt Peter Tennison (26), Air Signals, RAF.
  Sgt James Naismith (28), Air Signals, RAF.
  Sgt Wilfred D Beck (19), Air Signals, RAF.
  Sgt James W Bell (25), Air Signals, RAF.
  Sgt George Farquhar (29), Flight Engineer, RAF.
caption: Wreckage from Avro Lancaster TX264 in Coire Mhic Fhearchair in 2005
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