Date:	Tuesday 20 December 1949
Time:	day
Type:	General Aircraft Ltd GAL56/04
Owner/operator:	AFEE (Armed Forces Experimental Establishment)
Registration:	TS510
MSN:	GAL.56/04
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Beaulieu, East Boldre, Beaulieu, Hampshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Test
Departure airport:	RAF Beaulieu, Hampshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
The General Aircraft GAL.56 was a family of 1940s British experimental tailless swept wing glider designs. In July 1943, the Tailless Aircraft Advisory Committee was set up under the Directorate of Scientific Research, within the Ministry of Aircraft Production. The purpose was to investigate the future possible use of tailless and tail-first concepts. In 1944, contract Acft/3303/CB.10(c) was issued to GAL for the construction and development of four unpowered proof-of-concept aircraft, three later designated as GAL.56, plus one GAL.61.

The three GAL.56 variants employed the same fuselage design, married to three different wing designs. The fuselage of the GAL.56 was constructed of steel tubes and wooden ribs, covered in moulded plywood sheeting. Accommodation was for pilot and observer, in tandem cockpits. For each variant, the wings were constructed of laminated wood spars and ribs, covered in wood/paper laminated skins. Each wing was attached to the fuselage by a joint via which the dihedral could be pre-set before flight. Elevons were provided to act as elevators for pitch control, and as servo-assisted ailerons for roll control. Two sets of split flaps were installed, of which either set could be selected before flight. A fin and rudder were mounted at each wingtip. The fixed main undercarriage struts, using existing components, were attached to the wing spars, and an extended tailwheel attached to the rear of the fuselage pod.

General Aircraft Ltd GAL.56/04 experimental tail-less glider TS510 was the second to be constructed. Also known as the "Medium-U" version, had the same swept wing planform as the GAL.56/01 mounted outboard of a constant chord centre section, total wingspan 51 ft (15.5 m). First flight was on 27 February 1946, at RAF Aldermaston.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 20 December 1949 when crashed on take-off at RAF Beaulieu, East Boldre, Beaulieu, Hampshire. During the take-off run, the pilot held the control column too far forward, and the aircraft nosed over when the tow rope slackened.

This tendency was a known hazard on the GAL.56, and it had happened before during test flying on the type of aircraft. Although the pilot, Wing Commander L.P Gibson was unhurt, his passenger, Aircraftsman J H Young was injured.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.564
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. MacGowan, Barry (April 1994). "Tailless Tales". Aeroplane Monthly.
5. https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/general-aircraft-from-st-1-to-gal-65-%E2%80%94-the-definitive-index.21250/page-2#post-209851
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Beaulieu#Postwar_military_use
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Aircraft_GAL.56#Variants
8. https://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/airfields/bea.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates