Meikle Bin Plane Crash Site

Meikle Bin Plane Crash Site Obscuravibes (Atlas Obscura User)

It was a cold and stormy Scottish winter day on January 8, 1950, when the military aircraft Fairey Firefly FR Mk lost contact with their base due to a radio signaling error. The crew tragically crashed into the side of Meikle Bin, a 1,900-foot mountain in the Campsie Fells, a range of peaks found in central Scotland.

The crash killed both passengers, John A Robertson and John Smith. The wreckage of the plane was discovered near the summit of the mountain. In the 1990s, a decision was made to remove parts of the wreckage. The rear body of the plane was taken by the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum.

Now, more than 70 years later, the parts of the aircraft and the Rolls-Royce Griffon engine remain at the crash site.

Know Before You Go

The walk to the summit of Meikle Bin begins at Todholes Car Park. The summit is marked with a trigonometrical point and the wreckage can be seen on the final section of the walk to the right of the grassy slope.

Atlas Obscura Trips