Date:	Thursday 17 March 1949
Time:	day
Type:	Fairey Firefly FR Mk 4
Owner/operator:	816 Sqn RAN
Registration:	TW726
MSN:	F.6078
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	HMAS Sydney, Moray Firth, off Inverness, Scotland -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	HMAS Sydney, Moray Firth, off Inverness, Scotland
Destination airport:	HMAS Sydney, Moray Firth, off Inverness, Scotland

Narrative:
Fairey Firefly FR.Mk.4 TW726: Delivered to the FAA RN (Fleet Air Arm Royal Navy) at RNAS Culham RDU 22/1/1947. First issued for service to 13/2/1948 to 812 Squadron FAA RN at HMS Peregrine, RNAS Ford, Yapton, Arundel, West Sussex as "210/FD". Transferred 17/7/1948 to 816 Squadron, RAN (Royal Australian Navy) at HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland as "228/JR", later "228/K" when embarked aboard HMAS Sydney from 14/2/1949.

Written off 17/3/1949: Bounced over wires and into No. 2 Barrier while landing on board HMAS Sydney in the Moray Firth, off Inverness (pilot - Lieutenant John Gunn, RAN). Pilot not injured, and aircraft withdrawn from service. According to the official history of 816 Squadron, RAN into the incident (see link #6):

"Aircrew began training in the UK, working up on a variety of aircraft loaned from the RN, the final phase of which was deck landing qualification aboard HMS Illustrious. HMAS Sydney, the RAN's first aircraft carrier, was commissioned on 16 December 1948 at Devonport in the south of England. 20th CAG performed a flypast to celebrate the event.

The CAG embarked on HMAS Sydney on 15 February 1949 and spent the next few weeks working up at Moray Firth, north east of Inverness in Scotland. All of the pilots and observers in the CAG had extensive wartime operational experience but many had little or no deck landing experience. There were accidents, including one where a pilot from 816 Squadron managed to destroy five aircraft, all on loan from the RN, in one attempted landing.

On 17 March 1949, Lieutenant Danny Buchanan crashed on Sydney's deck when his Firefly landed heavily and jumped the safety barriers. He first came down on Lieutenant John Gunn's aircraft, Firefly TW726 (Gunn had just landed himself) before hitting three more parked aircraft and coming to a stop close to the bows.The flight deck fire crew were astonished to find John Gunn alive. Danny Buchanan later rose to the rank of Commander and became Commander (Air) at HMAS Albatross".

As the disbandment of 816 Squadron RAN was imminent (the squadron disbanded 24/3/1949, just over a week later) it was decided that repairing Firefly TW726 was not worthwhile. As a result it was returned to FAA RN charge in a damaged condition on 24/3/1949 at the RNAMY (Royal Naval Aircraft Maintenance Yard) at Belfast. After also deciding that Firefly TW726 was damaged beyond economical repair, it was formally Struck Off Charge on 16/6/1949 as Cat.ZZ and broken up for spares and produce.

1. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant, Lee Howard & Mick Burrows, Air Britain, 2004 p. 256)
2. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/n1.htm
3. https://www.faaaa.asn.au/fairey-firefly-aircraft-histories/
4. http://www.rafmuseumphotos.com/royal-navy/postwar-fleet-air-arm-royal-australian-navy-1275326.html?prodid=676
5. http://www.wings-aviation.ch/36-Australia/2-Aircraft/Fairey-Firefly/AUS-816-03.png
6. https://www.navy.gov.au/history/squadron-histories/816-squadron-history
7. https://www.faaaa.asn.au/obituaries/gunn-john/

Eight Fairey Firefly FR.1 and seven Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 overfly the Royal Australian Navy aricraft carrier HMAS Sydney (R17) in 1949:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Sep-2020 20:21	Dr. John Smith	Added
07-Sep-2020 20:52	Apen	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator]
12-Sep-2020 20:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Cn, Embed code, Narrative]