Date:	Sunday 26 April 1942
Time:	06:00 LT
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk 1
Owner/operator:	288 Sqn RAF
Registration:	N1762
MSN:	252
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Coleby Grange, Nocton Heath, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Digby, Scopwick, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Coleby Grange, Lincolnshire

Narrative:
Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I N1762, 288 Squadron RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 26 April 1942. The pilot reported a problem just after take off. Crashed after stalling on approach 06.00 at RAF Coleby Grange, Lincolnshire. One of a formation on mock invasion exercises. Pilot recovered from the wrecked aircraft alive, but died in Bracebridge Hospital, Lincolnshire at 19:00 hrs the same day from injuries sustained, without ever regaining consciousness.

Crew of Defiant N1762:
Kapral (Sergeant Pilot) Josef KRAUZ (P/792022) Polish Air Force, aged 22 - killed on active service 26 April 1942, buried at Newark-on-Trent Cemetery, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire

RAF Coleby Grange was a Royal Air Force satellite station situated alongside the western edge of the A15 on open heathland between the villages of Coleby and Nocton Heath and lying 7.4 miles (11.9 km) due south of the county town Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. 288 Squadron formed at RAF Digby on 17 November 1941 and was equipped with Lysanders, Blenheims and Hurricanes to provide practice for the anti-aircraft defences in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire by towing targets and conducting simulated attacks. Defiants were used between March 1942 and April 1943.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1977 p 9)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/13710: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C17206347
3. ORB for 288 Squadron RAF for the period 1/11/41 to 30/6/1946: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/1624: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2504266
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/7503754/josef-krauz/
5. http://www.raf-lincolnshire.info/digby/digby_crashes.htm
6. https://aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=N1762&qand=&exc1=&exc2=&search_only=&search_type=exact
7. https://www.bcar.org.uk/new1942-incident-logs#apr
8. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/military/Crashes_in_Lincolnshire.pdf
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._288_Squadron_RAF#Formation_in_World_War_II
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Coleby_Grange#Second_World_War

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Feb-2008 13:20	JINX	Added
03-Jun-2013 09:20	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport]
14-Aug-2013 20:36	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Source]
20-Apr-2015 05:18	Angel dot comma	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Destination airport]
12-Dec-2017 13:45	Red Dragon	Updated [Operator]
04-Oct-2018 13:06	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
10-Apr-2022 12:36	Shaun	Updated [Departure airport, Narrative]