Date:	Saturday 27 January 1973
Time:	day
Type:	Thurston Teal TSC-1A
Owner/operator:	Castlemain (Marine) Ltd
Registration:	G-AXZN
MSN:	8
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	New Addington, near Croydon, Surrey -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Standing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:
Destination airport:	Biggin Hill Airport, Biggin Hill, Bromley, Kent (BQH/EGKB)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
The Thurston Teal is a family of two- and four-seat all-aluminium amphibious aircraft designed by David Thurston in the United States and first flown in 1968. A total of 38 Teals were manufactured. G-AXZN was the 8th Teal, a TSC-1A model (of which 15 were built) built in early 1970, and first registered in the USA as N2008T. First UK registered (C of R R.11492/1) on 16-3-70 to Christopher Nicholl Murphy c/o Castlemain (Marine) Ltd., Chichester, West Sussex. (The company were the UK agents for the Thurston Teal - see link #12).

G-AXZN's primary claim to fame is that it flew Edward Woodward, the principal character, out to the pagan Hebridean island of "Summerisle" in the 1973 film 'The Wicker Man'. The flying sequences in the film involving the Thurston Teal were filmed with owner Christopher Murphy at the controls (Edward Woodward did not have a pilot's licence), in October and November 1972. However, G-AXZN didn't last long after its starring role.

On 13 January 1973, G-AXZN was approaching Biggin Hill Aerodrome when a broken carburetor-heat cable resulted in the engine stopping in the circuit. The Teal was put down in a big field about two miles away beside the New Addington estate. The aircraft suffered a broken undercarriage strut but was otherwise undamaged, and it was left with the intention of repairing it on site and flying it out. Leaving something like that unattended overnight was too much of a temptation to the local vandals and the aircraft was destroyed by arsonists, who deliberately set it on fire during the night of 27-28 January. The Teal was destroyed and the CAA recorded this as having happened on 26 January 1973.

Registration G-AXZN cancelled officially by the CAA as "Destroyed 26.1.73"

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurston_Teal
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AXZN.pdf
3. https://www.flickr.com/photos/31514768@N05/3180729550
4. http://www.seabee.info/teal/teal_08.htm
5. G-AXZN at Biggin Hill 21/5/72: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1462518
6. G-AXZN at Goodwood, Sussex 29/8/72: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1051758
7. G-AXZN at Shoreham, Sussex 28/8/70: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1063023
8. G-AXZN at RNAS Ford 8/8/70: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/9271/G-AXZN
9. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=15668.0
10. https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=2008T
11. http://www.impdb.org/index.php?title=The_Wicker_Man
12. http://www.aviationancestry.co.uk/?searchQuery=ThurstonTeal&startYear=1909&endYear=1980
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Addington

Excerpt from the 1973 film "The Wicker Man" showing Thurston Teal G-AXZN:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Mar-2020 19:31	Dr. John Smith	Added