ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 21877
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| Date: | Friday 14 May 1937 |
| Time: | evening |
| Type: | Hawker Demon Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 607 (County of Durham) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | K5690 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Dawdon Colliery Beach, 1 mile S of Seaham Harbour, County Durham -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire |
| RAF Usworth, near Sunderland, County Durham | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Hawker Demon Mk.1 K5690, 607 (County of Durham) Squadron RAF Usworth: Written off 14/5/37 when the aircraft was being flown on the return leg of a cross county flight from RAF Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire to RAF Usworth, near Sunderland, County Durham, in poor visibility & became lost. It is thought the pilot was trying to land on the shore when the aircraft crashed, overturned on beach & was Destroyed By Fire. Pilot Officer Thomas Templer "Tim" Richardson (pilot) RAF killed.
According to the official Air Ministry announcement in "Flight" magazine (May 27, 1937 page 536 - see link #4)
"ROYAL AIR FORCE FLYING ACCIDENTS
The Ministry regrets to announce that P/O Thomas Templer Richardson lost his life in an accident which occurred at Seaham Harbour on May 14 to an aircraft of No. 607 (Fighter) Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force. P/O Richardson was the pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft".
According to a published source (see link #3)
"Thomas Templer Richardson was gazetted June 4, 1935 as a Pilot Officer on 607 (County of Durham) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force. He was flying Hawker Demon K5690, on the return leg of a cross country flight from Sutton Bridge, on the evening of May 14, 1937, when he encountered fog on the Durham coast.
He circled the beach at Dawdon and appeared to have become disorientated: the Demon stalled and crashed onto the beach near Dawdon Colliery. The aircraft caught fire on impact. Locals pulled him free, after dowsing the flames with sand, However, Richardson was dead. He is buried in St Andrews Cemetery, Corbridge, Northumberland: he was 22 years old."
Note that the above two published sources give slightly different locations: the beach at Dawdon Colliery is approximately 1 mile south of Seaham Harbour. Both are on the coast of County Durham.
Sources:
1. Air-Britain The K File The RAF of the 1930s
2, http://norav.50megs.com/photo.html
3. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?314-RAF-officer-deaths-1-1-29-3-9-39
4. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1937/1937%20-%201422.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Jul-2008 23:11 | Anon. | Added |
| 08-Oct-2009 09:02 | JINX | Updated |
| 08-Oct-2009 09:03 | JINX | Updated |
| 10-Jan-2012 15:05 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Jul-2013 03:06 | JINX | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Aug-2013 13:18 | JINX | Updated [Operator] |
| 02-Aug-2013 14:44 | Nepa | Updated [Operator] |
| 03-Aug-2013 15:55 | Nepa | Updated [Operator] |
| 04-Aug-2013 06:54 | JINX | Updated [Operator] |
| 01-Jun-2015 15:16 | INV | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 22-Jan-2016 06:27 | JINX | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative] |
| 27-Mar-2016 08:01 | INV | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 04-Mar-2018 15:45 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-Apr-2018 22:37 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
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