Date:	Sunday 30 October 1949
Time:	day
Type:	De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	25 RFS RAF
Registration:	N6577
MSN:	3871
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Rake Gate Farm, Probert Road, Oxley, Staffordshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Pendeford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire
Destination airport:	RAF Pendeford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 3871 (Gipsy Major #80864); Taken on charge as N6577 at 5 MU RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire 10.2.39. To 32 ERFTS Greatham [undated]. To 1 EFTS RAF Hatfield, Hertfordshire 15.10.39. To 10 EFTS RAF Yatesbury 9.4.40; to Weston-super-Mare by 30.9.40. To Taylorcraft for repairs 10.12.40. To 17 EFTS North Luffenham 21.2.41; to RAF Westwood Peterborough 7.41. To 28 EFTS Wolverhampton 19.5.42. To 25 RFS Wolverhampton 26.6.47; coded “RCW-J”.

Written off (destroyed) 30.10.49: The pilot took off from RAF Pendeford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, in order to practice forced landing and aerobatics. The aircraft had been airborne for only five minutes when it was struck from above and behind by a civilian aircraft (Auster J/1N Alpha G-AIGR). Tiger Moth N6577 crashed at Rake Gate Farm, Probert Road, Oxley, Staffordshire 20.10.49, and was destroyed by fire; both on board were killed.
Crew:
F/O (156.619) John Thomas HARPER (pilot) RAF : killed

Auster J/1N Alpha G-AIGR survived the incident and was repaired to be returned to service. (The registration G-AIGR was finally cancelled by the CAA on 20.11.96 when with its 12th owner 'from new')

No.28 Elementary Flying Training School commenced operations at Pendeford on 15 September 1941 and was operated for the Royal Air Force by Air Schools Ltd. It was renamed No.25 Reserve Flying School on 26 June 1947, and ceased to operate on 31 March 1953

Wreckage recovered to 34 MU RAF Stoke Heath and struck off charge 21.11.49 as Cat.5(scrap)

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.548
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p038.html
5. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
6. G-AIGR history 1946-1965: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AIGR-1.pdf
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendeford
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxley,_Wolverhampton

Date/time	Contributor	Updates