Date:	Sunday 27 March 2011
Time:	c. 06:00 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Aldo Pacini
Registration:	I-CEDI
MSN:	85374
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Luigi Ridolfi Airport, Forli, Emilia-Romagna region, Tuscany -   Italy
Phase:	Standing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Luigi Ridolfi Airport, Forli, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Italy (LIPK)
Destination airport:	-
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 85374: Taken on charge by the RAF as DE352 at 15 MU RAF Wroughton, Wiltshire 6.2.42. To 1424 Flight, RAF Larkhill, Wiltshire 14.8.42; unit reformed as 43 OTU 1.10.42; moved with unit to RAF Old Sarum, Salisbury, Wiltshire 19.11.42. Withdrawn for Maintenance repairs 28.4.43; to Lundy & Atlantic Coast 12.5.43 for repairs to be carried out. Upon completion of repairs, to 38 MU RAF Llandow, Glamorgan 17.6.43. To 1 EFTS RAF Panshanger, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire 19.8.43. To 1 RFS, RAF Panshanger, Hertfordshire 26.6.47 coded “RCM-A”. To 16 RFS RAF Burnaston, Derbyshire 29.6.50. To 12 RFS RAF Filton, Brisotl, Gloucestershire 12.9.50; coded “12” [also “22”]. To Home Command Major Servicing Unit, RAF Leconfield. East Yorkshire 24.2.53. To RAF Kinloss Station Flight 19.5.53. To 9 MU RAF Cosford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire 12.3.54.

Struck off charge as Cat.5(c) when sold as parts 15.9.54 to W A Rollason Ltd, Croydon. UK civil registered as G-AOUI (C of R R5645/1) 10.8.56 to Rollason Aircraft & Engines Ltd, Croydon. C of A issued 18.9.56. Registration cancelled 19.9.56 and re-registered (C of R R5645/2) on 25.9.56 to Short Bros & Harland Ltd, Rochester and operated by Rochester Flying Club (replacement for Tiger Moth G-ANEB). Registration cancelled 1.1.61 and re-registered (C of R R5645/3) on 28.2.61 to Rochester & Ulster Flying Clubs Ltd, Rochester, Kent. Registration cancelled 31.3.62 and re-registered (C of R R5645/4) on 16.4.62 to John Elvet Pierce & Beatrice Unice Pierce, Ley Farm, Chirk, Wrexham. Registration cancelled 18.1.65 and re-registered (C of R R5645/5) on 21.1.65 to Vendair (London) Ltd, Biggin Hill, Kent. Registration G-AOUI cancelled 18.2.65 as 'sold to Italy'.

Re-registered in Italy as I-CEDI 12.3.65 to Aero Club Sarzana, Luni. C of A lapsed 8.11.67; registration I-CEDI cancelled as "Withdrawn From Use" in 1972; stored by Aero Club Sarzana, Luni. Purchased 1977 by Aldo Pacini, Montecatini, Tuscany for rebuild (fitted with Gipsy Major #83048). Re-registered 29.9.79 to Aldo Pacini, Montecatini, Tuscany. Current [1987] with Pacini. Destroyed by fire at Aeronova’s hangar at Luigi Ridolfi Airport, Forli, Emilia-Romagna region, Tuscany early on the morning of 27.3.2011.

Six single engined aircraft were destroyed when a hangar of Aernova at Forli-Luigo Ridolfi (LIPK) burned down. According to a rough translation from Italian into English of a contemporary newspaper report (see link #4 for the original Italian text):

"Flames at the 'Ridolfi': a hangar and five aircraft destroyed

Forlì, 27 March 2011 - A huge fire devastated a hangar at Ridolfi airport around 6 am yesterday morning. The shed is owned by Aernova (a company specializing in flight school, advertising flights and aerial photogrammetry) and overlooks via Fontanelle.

Five small aircraft were completely destroyed: these are small single-engine training Piper and a historic biplane for advertising flights.

Also erased from the flames various spare equipment and materials that were placed inside the building. Four aircraft had instead remained outside the hangar and were saved. Police and firefighters intervened on the spot, who found no traces of malicious triggers.

Probably, according to initial checks, the fire would have broken out due to a short circuit. The shed was destroyed by fire despite the rapid intervention of the firefighters who have a base of six fire-fighting vehicles inside the airport.

Also on site were fire engines sent by the provincial command. In short, the damage, still to be calculated with precision, is enormous".

Tiger Moth I-CEDI was the "historic biplane" referred to in the above report.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft DA100-DZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1987 p.18)
2. CAA History of G-AOUI 1956-61: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AOUI-1.pdf
3. CAA History of G-AOUI 1961-65: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AOUI-2.pdf
4. https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/forli/cronaca/2011/03/27/480500-rogo_hangar_ridolfi.shtml
5. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p853.html
7. Tiger Moth I-CEDI at Rehill, Surrey, UK (EGKR) 26.7.1987: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1005998
8. Tiger Moth I-CEDI at Cremona Migliaro, Italy (LILR) 25.2.2010: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6857757
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forl%C3%AC_Airport

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
01-Apr-2011 17:25	Alpine Flight	Added
06-Feb-2022 16:38	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
06-Feb-2022 16:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
06-Feb-2022 16:45	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]