Date:	Tuesday 6 January 1953
Time:	day
Type:	North American Harvard T.2B
Owner/operator:	RAF College Cranwell
Registration:	FX280
MSN:	14A-1583
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Cranwell Village, Sleaford, Lincolnshire. England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Cranwell, Sleaford, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Cranwell, Sleaford, Lincolnshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Noorduyn AT-16-ND Harvard ex-USAAF 43-34697 (MSN 14A-1583): Delivered to RAF as Harvard IIb FX280. To No 16 (Polish) Service Flying Training School, Newton, Nottinghamshire August 1944 coded "3". To No 607 (County of Durham) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Ouston, County Durham September 1946 coded "RAN-B". To No 2 Flying Training School February 1950, RAF South Cerney, Gloucestershire. To No 1 Flying Training School April 1951, RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire (Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire from October 1951) coded "FCD-P" later "FCA-J"

Written off (destroyed) 6 January 1953 when crashed near Cranwell Village, Sleaford, Lincolnshire. Towards the end of a sortie from RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, the pilot initiated a controlled descent through cloud. However, on approach, the QFI Pilot decided to overshoot and divert due to falling snow and low cloud. After about ten minutes flying, the aircraft was seen to dive vertically into a field near Cranwell village. Both crew killed

Crew of Harvard FX280
Flying Officer Terence Patrick Joseph McGrath, RAF (QFI Instructor pilot, Service Number 55594)
Flying Officer Anthony Robin Langley Chester, RAF (Pupil pilot under instruction)

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.139 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 327
3. The Harvard File (John F Hamlin, Air Britain, 1988 p 106)
4. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1950s-incident-logs#1953
5. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
08-Jan-2020 02:34	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
08-Jan-2020 02:34	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date]
17-Mar-2021 21:17	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
09-Apr-2021 00:00	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
09-Apr-2021 00:20	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
09-Apr-2021 18:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]