Date:	Friday 8 June 1951
Time:	day
Type:	North American AT-16 Harvard T.2B
Owner/operator:	1 FTS RAF
Registration:	FS891
MSN:	14A-1031
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire
Destination airport:	RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
North American AT-16 Harvard T.2B 43-12732 (MSN 14A-1031) Delivered to RAF as Harvard IIb FS891. To No 20 Flying Training School, RAF Church Lawford, Warwickshire April 1945 as "FAI-T". To No 20 Service Flying Training School September 1946. To No 2 Flying Training School June 1949 as "FAI-A" (still at Church Lawford). To No 1 Flying Training School, RAF Oakington as "FCA-A" February 1951.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crash landed short of the runway at Oakington, Cambridgeshire 8 June 1951. The pilot was engaged in formation flying with other Harvards of 1 FTS, but, due to a loss of power from the engine, was unable to keep up with the formation, even with the throttle fully open, and the propeller set to "fine" pitch. The pilot decided to force land on the airfield at RAF Oakington, but was unable to do this, and therefore elected to force land in a field a quarter mile short of the runway.

The forced landing was a wheels up "belly landing", and the aircraft was wrecked. However, the pilot survived with only minor injuries. A post crash examination of the airframe by the RAF Board of Inqury blamed the losss of performance on the pilot accidentally selecting the fuel mixture option to the "weak" position, and failing to notice or adjust this in flight.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.115 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 Colin Cummings p 145
3. the Harvard File (John F Hamlin, Air Britain, 1988 p.94)
4. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
28-Jan-2021 23:19	Dr. John Smith	Added
29-Jan-2021 09:58	ABBA	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
29-Jan-2021 23:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]