Date:	Saturday 9 June 1956
Time:	day
Type:	Short SB.6 Seamew MR.2
Owner/operator:	Short Brothers & Harland Ltd
Registration:	XE175
MSN:	SH.1779
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RNAY Sydenham (HMS Gannet), Belfast, Northern Ireland -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport:	RNAY Sydenham (HMS Gannet), Belfast (BHD/EGAC)
Destination airport:	RNAY Sydenham (HMS Gannet), Belfast (BHD/EGAC)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
The fourth Short SB.6 Seamew MR.2 prototype was XE175, which first flew on 15 December 1955, and was formally delivered (taken on charge) on 14 February 1956. It was flown by Short Brother & Harland's test pilot Squadron Leader Walter J. "Wally" Runciman for a series of sales tours in 1956 to Italy (March), Yugoslavia (April) and West Germany (May). It was this same aircraft in which Runciman was killed when it crashed during the Sydenham (Belfast) Air Display on 9 June 1956.

During the air display at Sydenham, Northern Ireland the aircraft entered a slow roll at 100 feet. The nose fell and the pilot seemed to be trying to finish with a half loop, but with insufficient height, the aircraft struck the runway nose first. Rumours that the crash had been caused by a material failure were current at the time but the accident investigation board did not confirm them

John T. Davis, an Irish filmmaker, included film of the crash of Seamew XE175 in his own film, The Uncle Jack (1996)

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Seamew
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft XA100-XZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 2001 p 21)
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/345: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424466
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/35/S2826: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578606
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=XE
6. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/93458-the-seamew-story-film
7. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1956.htm
8. https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/short-seamew-question.16869/
9. https://oppositelock.kinja.com/the-short-seamew-a-camel-among-horses-wingspan-1797684832
10. http://thetartanterror.blogspot.com/2007/08/walter-j-wally-runciman-afc-dfm-19xx.html
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air_show_accidents_and_incidents_in_the_20th_century#1956
12. 1956 Belfast Airshow crash Flight International archive: Report of the accident -https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%200762.html
13. 1956 Belfast Airshow crash Flight International archive: Report on inquest -
https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%200796.html
14. http://www.belfastforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=37404.0
...

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
16-Jan-2020 00:04	Dr. John Smith	Added
16-Jan-2020 00:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
16-Jan-2020 00:08	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source]
17-Jun-2020 01:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]