Date:	Friday 7 June 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Avro Lancaster Mk I
Owner/operator:	49 Sqn RAF
Registration:	PB987
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Mepal, 6 miles west of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Mepal, Cambridgeshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B.Mk.I PB987, 49 Squadron, RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 7 June 1946 when ASI (Air Speed Indicator) failed, pilot abandoned take-off from RAF Mepal, Cambridgeshire. Undercarriage raised to facilitate an emergency stop, and aircraft was Destroyed By Fire.

According to the Aircraft Movement Card (Air Ministry Form AM.78), the history of Lancaster PB987 was as follows:

09/04/1945: On Charge from 32 Maintenance Unit, RAF St. Athan
16/04/1945: To 35 Squadron, RAF: First sortie to Schwandorf
22/04/1945: Operational Sortie to Bremen
24/04/1945: Operational Sortie to Neubrandenburg POW Camp ("Operation Exodus": Repatriation of POWs)
25/04/1945: Operational Sortie to Wangerooge Island
09/05/1945: Operational Sortie to Lubeck ("Operation Exodus": Repatriation of POWs)
10/05/1945: Operational Sortie to Lubeck ("Operation Exodus": Repatriation of POWs)
15/05/1945: Operational Sortie to Juvencourt ("Operation Exodus": Repatriation of POWs)
26/05/1945: Operational Sortie to Juvencourt ("Operation Exodus": Repatriation of POWs)
20/06/1945: Off Charge to 156 Squadron, RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire
25/09/1945: 156 Squadron disanded at RAF Wyton.
10/10/1945: To 49 Squadron, RAF Mepal, Cambridgeshire
07/06/1946: Written off in FACE (Flying Accident Cat.E) as per the above

RAF Mepal is a former RAF station located 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south of Mepal, Cambridgeshire, England and 5.9 miles (9.5 km) west of Ely. Construction commenced in July 1942 and opened in June 1943. It was finally closed in 1963.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.42. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
3. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
4. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.156
5. 49 Squadron ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/1/1946 to 31/1/1948: National Archvies (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2419/73 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8419836
6. https://35squadron.wordpress.com/2019/07/16/pb-serials/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._156_Squadron_RAF#Reformation_in_World_War_II
8. https://www.49squadron.co.uk/losses/by_serial
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._49_Squadron_RAF#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Aug-2013 08:26	JINX	Added
19-Oct-2018 19:43	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
10-Nov-2019 23:35	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
10-Nov-2019 23:45	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
12-Nov-2019 22:21	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Operator]
22-Jul-2021 15:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Narrative, Category]
22-Jul-2021 15:47	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
22-Jul-2021 15:51	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
22-Jul-2021 15:51	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
22-Jul-2021 15:55	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
22-Jul-2021 18:07	Lelek	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]