Date:	Saturday 15 September 1951
Time:	daytime
Type:	North American Harvard T.2B
Owner/operator:	6 FTS RAF
Registration:	FX428
MSN:	14A-1731
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:	RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Harvard FX428 (ex-USAAF 43-34845) was purchased by the British Air Commission without contract from The North American Aircraft Corporation and delivered by sea to the UK arriving in July 1944. To No 9 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit, Errol, Perthshire, Scotland September 1944. To No 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit, Ternhill, Shropshire June 1945. To No 7 Service Flying Training School April 1946 as "FBD-D". To No 7 Flying Training School January 1948. To No 22 Reserve Flying School, Teversham, Cambridgeshire June 1950. To No 18 Reserve Flying School, Fairoaks, Surrey July 1950. To No 11 Reserve Flying School, Perth, Scotland August 1950. To No 6 Flying Training School, Little Rissington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire May 1951.

On 15th September 1951 the "Battle of Britain" air display was being carried out at Thornaby airfield and during this display a Harvard was making an inverted fly past. While the pilot was returning the aircraft to flying the normal way up, it struck the ground and the pilot was killed - one of three killed on this day in Battle of Britain Air Displays. (See also Harvard KF937 and Meteor WE869)

Crew:
Sgt (1386489) George William KELLEY (pilot) RAF - killed

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.119 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 Colin Cummings p 176
3. The Harvard File (John F Hamlin, Air Britain, 1988 p 120)
4. "Three Killed at Air Displays". The Times (52108). London. September 15, 1051. p. 4.
5. http://www.nelsam.org.uk/NEAR/Losses/Losses-PostWWII.htm
6. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html
7. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/yorksother/fx428.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Dec-2012 11:46	harro	Added
05-Jan-2015 03:38	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
21-Jun-2018 14:05	A.J. Scholten	Updated [Cn, Source]
06-Dec-2018 18:00	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Nature, Destination airport, Operator]
09-Feb-2021 18:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
09-Feb-2021 19:29	harro	Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator]
13-Feb-2021 23:25	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]