Date:	Friday 8 May 1953
Time:	night
Type:	Boulton Paul Balliol T Mk 2
Owner/operator:	7 FTS RAF
Registration:	WG115
MSN:	BPA.9C
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near RAF Cottesmore, Oakham, Rutland, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Cottesmore, Oakham, Rutland
Destination airport:	RAF Cottesmore, Rutland
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Boulton Paul Balliol T.Mk.2 WG115: Awaiting Collection 14/11/1952. Delivered to the RAF at 7 FTS, RAF Cottesmore, Oakham, Rutland, 24/11/1952 coded "D-V". Written off (damaged beyond reapir) 8/5/1953 when crashed near RAF Cottesmore, Oakham, Rutland.

The aircraft was being flown on a night flying training cross-country navigation sortie from RAF Cottesmore, Oakham, Rutland, with a crew of two: Squadron Leader R W W James (pilot) and Pilot Officer A R Fraser (Navigator). The pilot was undertaking his first flight since recovering from an accident in January 1953.

It appears that there was some kind of difficulty with the aircraft's internal lighting. While the crew were trying to fix the problem, they failed to notice the aircraft's rapid rate of sink. As a result, the Balliol descended to ground level and flew into a hedge 300 yards from the end of the runway at Cottesmore. Although the aircraft was a write off (deemed "damaged beyond economic repair") the two crew appear to have survived with only minor injuries.

Wreckage recovered to 58 MU RAF Honington, Suffolk, where Struck Off Charge 30/5/1953 as Cat.5(scrap), and authorised to be broken up as spares and scrap.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.145 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 369
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 73)
4. The Boulton Paul Balliol: The Last Merlin-Powered Aircraft By Alec Brew
5. 7 FTS ORB (Operational Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/1/1951 to 31/12/1955: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/2154 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101864
6. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WG

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Jun-2008 20:15	JINX	Added
03-Nov-2018 15:02	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Operator]
27-Apr-2021 16:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
27-Apr-2021 17:14	dandy	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Nature, Destination airport, Operator]