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Date: | Monday 20 April 1953 |
Time: | night |
Type: | Fairey Firefly T Mk 3 |
Owner/operator: | 796 Sqn FAA RN |
Registration: | PP649 |
MSN: | F.6308 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | Bristol Channel, off Hartland Point, Devon, England -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Training |
Departure airport: | HMS Vulture, RNAS St.Merryn, Cornwall |
Destination airport: | HMS Vulture, RNAS St.Merryn, Cornwall |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Fairey Firefly T.Mk.3 PP649: "209/MF" of 796 Squadron FAA RN, HMS Vulture, RNAS St.Merryn, Cornwall. Written off (destroyed) 20/4/1953: Crashed into the Bristol Channel, due to engine failure, off Hartland Point, Devon (at a bearing of 220 degrees). Aircraft was engaged in a low level night NAVEX (Navigation Exercise), possibly from RNAS St. Merryn to RAF Chivenor and back to St. Merryn. Crew attempted to bail out at low level, but were not successful. Both crew presumed killed, as they were never found
Crew of Firefly T.3 PP649:
Lieutenant David Roger Price-Owen DSC RN (Pilot, Service Number 404557, aged 30) - killed on active service 20/4/1953
Midshipman David Baxter Enever RN (Observer, aged 20)- killed on active service 20/4/1953
Firefly PP649 Struck Off Charge as Cat.ZZ 20/4/1953. Total flying time on airframe: 435.55 hours
Sources:
1. Fleet Air Arm /fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant. Lee Howard & Mick Burrows, Air Britain 2004 p. 254)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) - Aircraft Accidents: Firefly T3 PP649 on 20.4.1953: File ADM 1/24558 at
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4845671 3.
https://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1953.htm 4.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_fairey_firefly_T3.html 5.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartland_Point 6.
https://www.militaryimages.net/media/price-owen-david-roger.83183/ 7.
http://www.ennever.com/getperson.php?personID=I15714&tree=Ennever1 8. Death notice of Observer, The Times 25/4/1953:
http://www.ennever.com/showmedia.php?mediaID=29887&medialinkID=1822937 Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
06-Sep-2020 21:36 |
Dr. John Smith |
Added |
06-Sep-2020 21:38 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Source] |
07-Sep-2020 09:35 |
Glog |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator] |
11-Sep-2021 14:41 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Category] |