A WW2 RAF Who/What Dunnit?

[Agent]

Was it the radio waves from their search equipment was casuing the petrol in the engines to overheat early in much the same way mobile phones are potentially a risk of explosion at petrol stations?

Wasn't that largely debunked as a myth?
BBC NEWS | England | Kent | Petrol station mobile risk 'myth'

Does anyone remember a few years back when there was a big 'revelation' that the pricing signs in petrol stations had transmitters built into them and got a cut off the phone companies?

edit - BBC NEWS | UK | Shell to reveal hidden phone masts
Petrol stations to list secret phone masts - Home News, UK - Independent.co.uk

[Zak33]

so far you're all wrong, and it's a miracle that the solution was ever found.

But here it is...and this error cost people their lives

The engine oil that had been used turned out to be from an old World War 1 supply, that had been in a supply warehouse since 1916 !!!

[Gerrard]

Well, it's better than putting hydraulic oil in instead. That actually happens a fair bit at the moment as they changed the hydraulic oil can to be the same shape as the engine oil can (used to be round, is now rectangular); so people just pick up the can going by its shape rather than reading the bloody label!

[icanhazburger]

I thought maybe my gran was there and like her daughter she had a habit of putting diesel in where it clearly don't work

[pumpman]

so far you're all wrong, and it's a miracle that the solution was ever found.

But here it is...and this error cost people their lives

The engine oil that had been used turned out to be from an old World War 1 supply, that had been in a supply warehouse since 1916 !!!

interesting and sad at the same time, that will be of the same vintage, as the weapons that the US sold to the Uk at the start of WW2, for 37 million pounds, they were WW1 rifles and some submachine guns stored in oil and when the Uk asked for heyulp, the US said here you go kerchingggg, a debt added to othe rwar debts that the UK has only just recently paid off, unlike zee froggies