Too Fast? Problems at the Airfields

The more planes that were in the air simultaneously, the more errors and misfortunes occurred on the airfields participating in the Berlin Airlift operation. The RAF was not exempt from such incidents. At Wunstorf, a Dakota was inadvertently double-loaded, taking on cargo meant for an Avro York. A dispatcher remembered that everyone could immediately sense, as the plane began its take-off, that "all was not right. It was a tremendous relief when we watched it narrowly clear the perimeter fence." Once those on the ground realized the mistake, they signaled for the plane to return. However, the pilot firmly chose to continue to Gatow. After landing, he remarked, "She landed a bit heavy, you know."

Given that an RAF Avro York transport plane had a capacity to carry up to 9000kg of goods, this oversight was particularly grave for the considerably less potent DC-3 Dakota.