As World War II came to a close the British government realised that it was going to have to drastically change its air manufacturing industry to avoid becoming dependent on American aircraft companies. To address this issue the Brabazon Committee was formed in 1943 to investigate the future needs of the British Empire's civilian airliner market. Of that relatively large number of 445 aircraft there have been over 150 accidents and incidents, including 144 hull losses. An accident or incident can involve anything from slight damage to total write-off and crash with all people on board killed.