ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 207638
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| Date: | Monday 12 September 1938 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Armstrong Whitworth Whitley B Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) |
| Registration: | K7207 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Farnborough Airfield, Farnborough, Hampshire, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Farnborough Airfield, Farnborough, Hampshire (EGLF) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley B.Mk.I K7207, RAE Farnborough: Written off (destroyed) 12/9/38 when crashed and caught fire shortly after take-off at Farnborough, Hampshire. All three crew killed:
Squadron Leader Maurice James Adam AFC (aged 29) killed
Flight Lt Reginald Monks (pilot, aged 27) killed
Mr Benjamin Thomas Edwin Bond (Wireless Operator, civilian employee, aged 36) killed
According to the official Air Ministry announcement in "Flight" magazine (September 15, 1938 page 229 - see link #3):
"SQUADRON LEADER M. J. ADAM, A.F.C.
WITH great regret, Flight records the death of Sqn. Ldr. Maurice James Adam, A.F.C , which occurred on Monday last as the result of a crash at Farnborough. Fit. Lt. R. Monks was the pilot of the machine and the wireless operator was Mr. B. T. E. Bond, a civilian employee of the Royal Aircraft Establishment. The machine, a Whitley bomber, burst into flames after striking, and, all three were killed."
A contemporary newspaper report adds further details ("Dundee Courier" - Friday 16 September 1938)
"ST ANDREWS AIRMAN'S DEATH WAS ACCIDENT, JURY FINDS
Accidental death was the verdict at the inquest at Aldershot yesterday on the three occupants of a large R.A.F. bomber which crashed at Farnborough, Hants., on Monday.
The victims were Squadron Leader Maurice James Adam (29), of St Andrews, holder of the world's altitude record; Flight-Lieutenant Reginald Monks (27), and Benjamin Thomas Bond (36).
Adam commanded the wireless and electric flight of the experimental squadron at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, to which Monks was also attached, and Bond was a civilian technical assistant.
FLYING NORMALLY.
Charles Wm. Brawn, a labourer, who was working near the aerodrome, said the machine took off and appeared to be flying normally when it passed him. It then banked to the left over some trees and crashed behind them, bursting into flames. He managed to pull two of the occupants clear.
Captain Percival Victor Hoare said the machine, a Whitley Bomber, reached a height of about 100 feet, flying normally until it banked very heavily and disappeared behind some trees.
Another witness said Monks, who was piloting, had 937 hours flying experience and had flown the same machine on a previous occasion.
Evidence was given that the aircraft was thoroughly inspected on the morning of the accident. Everything was in perfect order.
The coroner, Mr H. M. Foster, told the jury there appeared to be no question of neglect on anybody's part and that they would have to leave it to someone else to thrash out the cause of the accident."
Sources:
1. The K File: The Royal Air Force of the 1930s (James J Halley, Air Britain. 1995 p 414)
2. Dundee Courier - Tuesday 13 September 1938 and Friday 16 September 1938
3. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14814.0
4. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1939.htm
5. https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1938/1938%20-%202575.PDF
6. http://thetartanterror.blogspot.co.uk/2008/05/sldr-maurice-james-adam-afc-1908-1938.html
7. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?314-RAF-officer-deaths-1-1-29-3-9-39/page2
8. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14815.0
9. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14834.msg62537;topicseen#msg62537
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Mar-2018 20:48 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 15-Mar-2018 20:49 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 15-Mar-2018 20:50 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 18-Feb-2020 19:47 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 18-Feb-2020 19:50 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 18-Feb-2020 20:02 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 15-May-2023 10:09 | Nepa | Updated [[Source]] |
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