1943 Gibraltar Liberator AL523 crash

1943 Gibraltar B-24 crash
	Sikorski's Liberator, lying on its back in the sea just off Gibraltar following the crash
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
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.

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