Date:	Wednesday 1 April 1953
Time:	10:00 LT
Type:	Miles M.38 Messenger 2A
Owner/operator:	Rodney Richard Matthews-Naper
Registration:	G-AKBL
MSN:	6701
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Aircraft missing
Location:	Irish Sea en route from RAF Northolt to Dublin Airport via Daventry -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	RAF Northolt, South Ruislip, Middlesex (NHT/EGWU)
Destination airport:	Dublin Airport, Dublin, Ireland (DUB/EIDW)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
c/no 6701 G-AKBL Messenger Mk.2A (155 hp Blackburn Cirrus Major III) with oval rear windows. Application for C of A and registration made by Tyne Taxis Ltd., Newcastle, in 1947. Registered to Tyne Taxis Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a Series IIA with C of R No.11775/1 on 15.7.47 and C of A No.9588 issued on 20.8.47. Registration cancelled 3.12.47 and re-registered (C of R R 11775/2) on 14.1.48 to Miles Aircraft Ltd, Woodley. Registration cancelled 20.2.48 and re-registered (C of R R 11775/3) on 24.3.48 to Smithfield Refrigerator Co. Ltd., London: based Elstree.

Cancelled 22.2.50 on sale to Republic of Ireland. Registered 21.2.50 as EI-AFK to Mrs. R Matthews-Naper, Loughcrew. Oldcastle. Co Meath; based Dublin and delivered from Elstree 3.50. Undercarriage torn off, propeller and leading edge damage at Dublin Airport 3.5.50. Repaired. Irish registration cancelled 3.2.53 and restored as G-AKBL on 16.3.53 to Mrs. R Matthews-Naper, Elstree (with new C of R A 2046/4)

Lost (went missing) 1.4.53: Believed crashed into the Irish Sea en-route from RAF Northolt to Dublin Airport via Daventry, Northamptonshire. Exact crash location unknown, but probable debris sighted from air, west of Isle of Man.

Both persons on board were posted as "missing presumed killed": Rodney R. Matthews-Naper (pilot and owner) and Walter Bradley (passenger). Death presumed (Matthew-Naper on 24.07.53 and Bradley on 19.03.54). Pilot had intended to to fly to Australia, starting 6 April 1953. According to the following excerpt from Flight Magazine 17 April 1953 p 476 (see link #8):

"Two Missing Pilots
At the time of going to press there is still no news of two well-known sporting pilots, missing on solo flights—Rodney Matthews-Naper and Tom Hayhow. For Matthews-Naper, in fact, hope was abandoned on April 4th, and a widespread search called off. He had taken off from Northolt at 6.40 p.m. in his Miles Messenger, G-AKBL, on April 1st, to fly to Dublin, which he contacted by R/T. at 9.50; nothing more was heard.

Unconfirmed reports said that he was carrying one or more passengers. A search of the Irish Sea by ships and aircraft was instituted, and climbers searched the Mourne Mountains in Co. Wicklow, but all to no avail. Thirty-five years of age, and a farmer by occupation, with an estate at Loughcrew, Oldcastle, County Meath, he made considerable use of his Messenger for both business and recreation. He entered for several of the National Air Races during the past few years, and last year he organized a private owners' air rally in Eire.

He was born in Australia, and during the war he served in the Royal Australian Navy; he was said to be planning a return there, in his Messenger, at the time of his disappearance."

Registration G-AKBL cancelled by the CAA on 29.4.53 due to "accident"

1. Death of Australian Flyer Presumed". Irish Times. Dublin. 1953-07-25. p. 5
2. Air Passenger's Death Presumed". Irish Times. Dublin. 1953-03-20. p. 9.
3. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AKBL.pdf
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_missing_aircraft
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT 219/52: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C414824
6. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT 219/53: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C414825
7. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT 219/54: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C414826
8. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT 219/55: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C414827
9. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dwhitworth/5506546876
10. Flight Magazine 17 April 1953 p 476 at https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%200480.html
11. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/archive/Archive_2002.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Feb-2017 20:27	Dr.John Smith	Added
06-Feb-2017 20:29	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
06-Feb-2017 20:31	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
16-Dec-2019 20:35	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]
01-Oct-2022 19:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]