Date:	Friday 21 June 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Vickers Warwick Mk III
Owner/operator:	TFU RAF
Registration:	HG218
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Shobdon, Leominster, Herefordshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Test
Departure airport:	RAF Defford, Worcestershire
Destination airport:	RAF Shobdon, Herefordshire (EGBS)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Vickers Warwick Mk. III HG218, TFU (Telecommunications Flying Unit) RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 21 June 1946 in a flying accident at RAF Shobdon, Leominster, Herefordshire.

While on a radar test sortie from RAF Defford, Worcestershire (possibly trials of the Rebecca Mark IV airborne approach radar system (airborne interrogator) equipment) the starboard engine of Warwick HG218 failed, due to failure of the scavenge pump drive mechanism. This meant that the oil in the engine was not being circulated properly, leading to an engine seizure.

With the starboard engine out of action, the pilot of Warwick HG218 diverted to make an immediate asymmetric (single engine) forced landing at RAF Shobdon, Leominster, Herefordshire. However, the Warwick approached RAF Shobdon "too high and too fast", resulting in an overshoot of the landing area. The Warwick then ran off the end of the runway in Shobdon, into a ditch, causing the undercarriage to collapse.

Although Warwick HG218 was deemed FACE (Flying Accident Cat. E) and therefore "damaged beyond economic repair", the crew appear to have escaped uninjured.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.44 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft HA100-HZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
3. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.165
4. Telecommunications Flying Unit: monthly progress meetings 1944-46: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 7/1605 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C971212
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.100: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. https://deffordairfieldheritagegroup.wordpress.com/aircraft-at-defford/aircraft-at-defford/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shobdon_Aerodrome#RAF_Shobdon
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_Research_Establishment
9. https://www.qsl.net/pe1ngz/airforce/airforce-raf/raf-eureka-rebecca.html#Rebecca%20Mk%20IV

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
24-Jul-2021 19:08	Dr. John Smith	Added
24-Jul-2021 19:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
24-Jul-2021 19:19	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
24-Jul-2021 19:20	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
02-May-2022 10:21	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Operator]
23-Jun-2023 19:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Operator, Location, Destination airport, Operator]]