Date:	Thursday 26 December 1940
Time:
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I
Owner/operator:	54 OTU RAF
Registration:	L7023
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Location:	RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:	RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire

Narrative:
Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I L7023 54 OTU RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire: On 26 December 1940 this 54 O.T.U. aircraft suffered from having a tyre burst on landing at Church Fenton airfield, this resulted in the undercarriage collapsing.

Pilot - P/O Michael Foxton Wynne-Willson RAF (89625) - survived uninjured. Michael Wynne-Willson later served with 255 Squadron.

Defiant L7023 was built to contract 622849/37 by Boulton & Paul Ltd. at Wolverhampton and was awaiting collection in April 1940 and was initially take on charge by 5 OTU at Aston Down and operated with them until 1 November 1940 when 5 OTU was re-designated 55 OTU and Defiant training ceased. All Defiants from 5 OTU were taken on charge by 54 OTU on 25 November 1940. As a result of the mishap on 26 December 1940 Cat.M/FA damage and was repaired on site and returned to the unit. 54 OTU ceased Defiant training on 16 June 1941 and transferred all it's Defiants to 60 OTU which moved from Leconfield to East Fortune on the same date. On 29 January 1942 it crashed sustaining Cat.E2/FA damage after a forced landing at Eldershope, Selkirk and was written off (see separate entry).

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1977)
2. ORB 54 OTU RAF (Operations Record Book) for the period 1/3/1941 to 30/4/1947: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/682/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7161027
3. https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york40/l7023.html
4. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=L7023
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_Operational_Training_Units
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Church_Fenton#Second_World_War

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Aug-2008 08:51	Anon.	Added
30-Dec-2011 09:05	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Destination airport]
14-Aug-2013 20:33	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location]
01-Nov-2013 20:50	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
21-Sep-2014 17:15	Anthony COX	Updated [Location, Narrative]
20-Jul-2021 17:04	Anon.	Updated [Location, Narrative, Operator]