ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 91448
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| Date: | Sunday 29 November 1942 |
| Time: | 16:48 |
| Type: |  Supermarine Spitfire Vb |
| Owner/operator: | 118 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | BM574 |
| MSN: | CBAF. |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Hanworth Aerodrome, Hanworth, Middlesex -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Zeals, Wiltshire |
| Hanworth Aerodrome, Hanworth, Middlesex |
BM574: Spitfire Vb, built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with R-R Merlin M45 engine. First Flown 22-4-42. Delivered to the RAF at 12MU, RAF Kirkbride 26-4-42. To 501 Squadron as 'SD-R' 12-5-42. To 118 Squadron 23-9-42 as "NK-R".
Written off (damaged beyond repair) when overshot landing and hit vehicle and air cadets at Hanworth Aerodrome, Hanworth, Middlesex. According to one source (see link #2):
"On Sunday November 29th 1942, the Bedfont Squadron of Feltham’s Air Training Corps (ATC) Cadets were on duty at the aerodrome when an RAF Spitfire overshot the boundary and ran into the two lines of boys. One, Cadet John Martin Allum, of Waterloo Crescent, Feltham, aged 17 at the time, was killed and six others were injured in the accident.
Witnesses at the inquest described seeing the airplane coming in to land very fast, touching down about 160 metres from the outer edge of the aerodrome.* It then appeared to skid, one wing crashing into an ambulance and narrowly missed a row of petrol pumps. The Flight Sergeant in charge of the cadets said that he thought that the airplane was landing a little too close to the road, but did not realise it was not going to stop, otherwise he would have warned the cadets to get out of the way.
The pilot of the Spitfire, Sergeant Anthony Smith, had been delivering the craft for inspection. Although he had never landed at Hanworth before (which was surprising given he lived in Isleworth), had made three observational circles as a precaution before landing. He had been told that Hanworth was a ‘very small ground for a machine of the type he was flying’ as the aircraft had a high landing speed. The pilot had been flying for 15 months and did not consider he was flying too fast.
He realised he was overshooting the aerodrome as he touched down, but by then, it was too late to take off again due to the number of buildings nearby. Although the pilot applied the brakes, it was impossible to do so at once when landing at speed. The coroner found that the pilot had not been negligent and that the cadet’s death and the injuries suffered by the other cadets was accidental. In the depths of 1942, this tragic accident would have added to the other deaths and injuries being experienced by the residents of Feltham and Hanworth".
Initially assessed as FACB (Flying Accident Cat.B) 29-11-42; pilot Sgt A Smith safe. Recatergorised as Cat. E 28-12-42 and Struck Off Charge. Despite being a Serving Air Cadet, 17-year-old John Martin Allum's death was classified by the CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) as a "Civilian" death (see link #4)
Sources:
1. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p027.html
2. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?26475-ATC-casualties-WW2/page3&p=154840#post154840
3. https://habitatsandheritage.org.uk/blog/air-crashes-at-hanworth-aerodrome/
4. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/3143246/john-martin-allum/
5. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/BM574
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._118_Squadron_RAF#Second_World_War
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Nov-2022 22:34 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 18-Nov-2022 22:34 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date] |
| 18-Nov-2022 22:35 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 18-Nov-2022 23:16 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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