Date:	Monday 7 April 1952
Time:	day
Type:	Airspeed Oxford Mk I
Owner/operator:	9 AFTS RAF
Registration:	DF308
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Wellesbourne Mountford, Warwickshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Taxi
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Wellesbourne Mountford, Warwickshire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Airspeed Oxford Mk.1 DF308/"MZ" 9 AFTS (Advanced Flying Training School) RAF: Delivered to 9 AFTS 19/2/1952. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 7/4/1952 in a taxying accident at RAF Wellesbourne Mountford, Warwickshire. The pilot was taxying to the aircraft dispersal area at Wellesbourne Mountford, when he believed that the aircraft's tailwheel was not castoring correctly.

To compensate for this, instead of fixing the problem by stopping or slowing down, the pilot opted to try and steer the Airspeed Oxford by using the throttles, opening up the starboard and port engines alternately. However, this led to a loss of control (due to the time lag between opening the throttle and the selected engine responding with increased power). As a result, the aircraft ran off the airfield perimeter track onto soft ground. The aircraft immediately became "bogged down" in the soft ground, and nosed over.

Although the aircraft was wrecked (damaged beyond economic repair), the pilot was apparently uninjured. Oxford DF308 was declared a non-effective airframe on 14/7/1953. As stated, not repaired, and instead Struck Off Charge as Cat.5(G/I). Became Ground Instruction Airframe 7278M on 2/9/1955. Issued to 8 SoTT (School of Technical Training) RAF Weeton, Fylde, Lancashire as such. As 7278M, Struck off Charge 26/3/1956 and presumably scrapped at RAF Weeton in 1956-57.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.125 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 Colin Cummings p 234
3. The Oxford, Consul & Envoy File (John F Hamlin, Air Brtian, 2001 p.138)
4. 9 AFTS ORB (Operational Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/12/1951 to 30/4/1954: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/2142/2 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7162853

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Mar-2021 18:52	Dr. John Smith	Added
02-Mar-2021 20:22	Roy	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
09-Mar-2021 18:51	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]