Date:	Friday 5 October 1951
Time:	day
Type:	De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	17 RFS RAF
Registration:	NM204
MSN:	86512
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Orsett, NE of Grays, Essex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Hornchurch, Essex
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth, MSN 86512; Taken on charge as NM204, notionally at 15 MU RAF Wroughton, Wiltshire 2.3.43. However, placed into long-term storage in ‘purgatory’ in the Oxdford area; returned to Morris Motors at Cowley, Oxford or erection [undated, but probably July 1945]. To 39 MU RAF Colerne, Wiltshire 26.7.45. To 17 RFS (Reserve Flying School) RAF Hornchurch, Essex 2.5.49 coded “RCJ-L”, later "22"

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 5.10.51 when force landed due to engine failure near Orsett, north east of Grays, Essex. The aircraft's wheels "dug in" to soft ground on landing, and the aircraft overturned. Aircraft was wrecked (deemed "damaged beyond econmic repair") but the crew seems to have escaped uninjured.

Wreckage recovered to 58 MU RAF Newark, Nottinghamshire 17.10.51 and Struck Off Charge as Cat.5(c)

The reported crash location of Orsett is a village and ecclesiastical parish located within Thurrock unitary district in Essex, England, situated around 5 km north-east of Grays, at approximate co ordinates 51.51°N 0.37°E.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.117 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft NA100-NZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.184
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p865.html
5. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orsett

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
11-Feb-2021 14:53	Dr. John Smith	Added
11-Feb-2021 17:44	Holschtein	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
06-Oct-2021 23:49	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]