ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 242514
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| Date: | Tuesday 15 March 1949 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Fairey Firefly FR Mk 4 |
| Owner/operator: | 816 Sqn RAN |
| Registration: | VG973 |
| MSN: | F.7993 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| 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 |
| HMAS Sydney, Moray Firth, off Inverness, Scotland |
Fairey Firefly FR.Mk.4 VG973: Delivered to the FAA RN (Fleet Air Arm Royal Navy) on 23/7/1947 to RNAS Culham RDU. First issued for service 13/2/1948 to 812 Squadron at HMS Peregrine, RNAS Ford, Yapton, Arundel, West Sussex. Next issued 17/7/1948 to 816 Squadron RAN (Royal Australian Navy) at HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland coded "235/JR", re-coded "235/K" when operating aboard HMAS Sydney. Damaged 3/11/48 in an emergency landing at Eglinton after one magneto failed, Pilot - Lieutenant Commander P.D. Lowndes - injured.
Written off (damaged beyond repair) 15/3/1949: Bounced, floated over barrier and landed in the deck park HMAS Sydney while the carrier was in Moray Firth, off Inverness, Scotland. After a slow approach during arrestor gear trials on HMAS Sydney, the undercarriage and hook were removed on the round down, and the aircraft skidded into the barrier on its belly although the fuselage caught on No 8 wire. It was classified as a write off, and struck off charge as Cat.ZZ. Pilot - Lieutenant Commander D. Buchanan, RAN - uninjured
Firefly VG973 collided with Firefly VH133 and the starboard wing, rear fuselage and fin of that aircraft severely damaged in deck park on board HMAS Sydney. Since 816 Squadron RAN disbanded 24/3/1949 at Eglinton, that may have had a bearing on the decision to write off Firefly VG973. It is thought that VG973 was scrapped at the RNAMY (Royal Naval Aircraft Maintenance Yard) at Belfast in April/May 1949
Sources:
1. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant, Lee Howard & Mick Burrows, Air Britain, 2004 p.259)
2. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VG
3. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/n1.htm
4. http://www.wings-aviation.ch/36-Australia/2-Aircraft/Fairey-Firefly/Fighter.htm
5. https://www.faaaa.asn.au/fairey-firefly-aircraft-histories/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Sep-2020 22:27 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 16-Sep-2020 23:26 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Sep-2020 23:26 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date] |
| 17-Sep-2020 19:33 | Xindel XL | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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