Date:	Thursday 29 June 1939
Time:	day
Type:	Fairey Battle Mk I
Owner/operator:	106 Sqn RAF
Registration:	K7562
MSN:	F.2320
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:	RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Battle K7562 was the fourth of 154 aircraft built to contract 424738/35 by Fairey at Heaton Chapel, Stockport and delivered to 63 Squadron on 9th June 1937. It was returned to Fairey's on 9th July 1938 for modifications and later issued to 88 Squadron on 29th September 1938, then transferred to 106 Squadron on 8th October 1938.

On 29th June 1939 this aircraft was damaged during a force-landing near Thornaby airfield after the engine had failed in the air. During the attempted landing it hit a hedge and the undercarriage collapsed badly damaging the aircraft. Following this incident near Thornaby Cat.W/FA damage was recorded and the aircraft was written off having clocked up 575.40 hours total flying time.

The crash of Battle K7562 was the first time that the newly posted pilot had crashed. In the years that followed the pilot became one of the great Bomber Command pilots and leaders of the Second World War.

Pilot - Pilot Officer Peter Ward-Hunt RAF (Service #39916)

Peter Ward-Hunt survived this accident, survived WWII, rose to the rank of Wing Commander, and died on 7 December 2005 aged 89

1. The K File - The RAF of the 1930s (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1955 p.125)
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft K1000-K9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1976 page 62)
3. The Battle File (Sidney Shail, Air Britain, 1997 p.125)
4. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/yorksother/k7562.html
5. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1505400/Wg-Cdr-Peter-Ward-Hunt.html
6. http://www.dtvmovements.co.uk/Archivesmonths/1985/1985%20-%20Mar.pdf
7. http://www.rafupwood.co.uk/expansionm.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
09-Jan-2015 03:17	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-Jun-2015 14:47	QQ3	Updated [Operator, Location]
29-Mar-2018 21:19	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative]
27-Oct-2018 20:52	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
29-Oct-2020 22:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
29-Oct-2020 22:48	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn]