Incident Fairey Firefly U.8 WM887,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 241479
 
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Date:Friday 2 November 1956
Time:day
Type:Silhouette image of generic FFLY model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Fairey Firefly U.8
Owner/operator:RAE Aberporth GWTW (Guided Weapons Trials Wing)
Registration: WM887
MSN: F.8942
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:Cardigan Bay, 3.5 miles off Aberporth Beach, Ceredigion, Dyfed -   United Kingdom
Phase: En route
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAE Llanbedr, Gwynedd (EGOD)
Destination airport:RAE Llanbedr, Gwynedd (EGOD)
Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Narrative:
Fairey Firefly U.8 WM887: Ordered from Fairey Aircraft Ltd., Heaton Chapel, Stockport, Cheshire as a Firefly AS.7, but completed as a Firefly U.8 drone, and first flown as such 22/2/1955 at Ringway Airport, Manchester

Delivered to RAE Aberporth GWTW (Guided Weapons Trials Wing) 19/5/1955. Sustained Cat.3(R) damaged when nosed over on landing at RAE Llanbedr, near Harlech, Gwynedd. Repaired on site by Contractor's Working Party, and returned to service. Took part in the 1956 Battle of Britain Air Display at RAF Hawarden, Cheshire on 15/9/1956 in the static display.

Written off (destroyed) 2/11/1956: Crashed into Cardigan Bay, 3.5 miles off Aberporth Beach, Ceredigion, Dyfed, during a flight from Llanbedr.

WM887 was formally Struck Off Charge as Cat.ZZ on 30/1/1957

Sources:

1. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant, Lee Howard & Mick Burrows, Air Britain,2004 p.299)
2. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WM
3. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_fairey_firefly_U8.html
4. http://www.ukserials.com/losses_drones.htm
5. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060025563
6. https://www.rafaberporth.org.uk/page6.html
7. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060025588
8. https://derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/22279/hawarden-battle-britain-display-amended

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
14-Sep-2020 22:41 Dr. John Smith Added

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