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Date: | Wednesday 13 September 1950 |
Time: | day |
Type: | Fairey Firefly AS Mk 5 |
Owner/operator: | 796 Sqn FAA RN |
Registration: | WB285 |
MSN: | F8503 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | HMS Vulture, RNAS St Merryn, Cornwall -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | Landing |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | HMS Vulture, RNAS St.Merryn, Cornwall |
Destination airport: | HMS Vulture, RNAS St.Merryn, Cornwall |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Fairey Firefly AS.Mk.5 WB285: Delivered to the FAA RN (Fleet Air Arm Royal Navy) 23/6/1949 at RNAS Culham RDU. To HMS Sanderling, RNAS Abbotsinch AHU in January 1950 and prepared for issue to service. First issued for service to 796 Squadron FAA RN at HMS Vulture, RNAS St. Merryn, Cornwall, in April 1950. Damaged 19/4/1950 when controls jammed, due to a screwdriver being left in the control cables, jamming the ailerons. Aircraft damaged in heavy landing, but pilot (Lieutenant (E) A.W.Pegler) uninjured.
Written off 13/9/49: The Firefly bounced badly on landing at RNAS St. Merryn, Cornwall (HMS Vulture) and the pilot applied full power in order to go around for another landing. At about 150 feet above the ground the Firefly torque-rolled and dived inverted onto the airfield. Both occupants were killed.
Crew of Firefly WB285:
Lieutenant Thomas D. Aldwell RN (pilot) - killed on active service 13/9/1950
Midshipman Keith R. Harris RN (observer) - killed on active service 13/9/1950
Aircraft formally Struck Off Charge as Cat.ZZ on 26/9/1950
Sources:
1. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant, Lee Howard & Mick Burrows, Air Britain, 2004 p.277)
2. Royal Navy casualties, killed and died 1950:
https://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1950.htm 3.
http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WB Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
08-Mar-2013 17:49 |
angels one five |
Added |
07-May-2013 13:57 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
26-Feb-2015 05:11 |
angels one five |
Updated [Operator] |
12-Nov-2018 09:22 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Operator] |
17-Jun-2020 00:05 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
02-Sep-2020 18:10 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |