Date:	Friday 11 October 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Handley Page Halifax Mk VII
Owner/operator:	1332 HTCU RAF
Registration:	PP362
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Spring Hill, Rainton, 5 miles North of RAF Dishforth, North Yorkshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Dishforth, North Yorkshire (EGXD)
Destination airport:	RAF Dishforth, North Yorkshire (EGXD)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Warrant Officer Sydney Albert Loosley took off for a flying training flight on 11-10-1946 in his heavy bomber Halifax B. Mk. VII PP362. On return, the Halifax overshot its approach to RAF Dishforth, making a three-engine approach with the starboard inner engine feathered. Airspeed was lost, to the point of the critical stalling speed; the Halifax stalled and dived into the ground at Spring Hill, Rainton, 5 miles North of RAF Dishforth, North Yorkshire

W/O Loosley served as a pilot with 1332 Heavy Transport Conversion Unit based at RAF Dishforth at the time. Warrant Officer Loosley was seriously injured in the accident with burns and other injuries, and was later to become a member of the Guinea Pig Club. The other three crew were killed.

The three crew members were Flight Sergeant F J Porritt DFM (Navigator/Bomber), W/O A Gallagher (Flight Engineer) and Sgt M H Hewlett (Wireless Operator). I have found no records of disciplinary action against W/O Loosley (my father) and it is therefore assumed that the investigation found he was not at fault. I have not been able to find information regarding the investigation into the accident.

W/O Sidney Albert Loosley's injuries: Injuries to legs and severe burns to face. He survived, and died 1-10-1975 at the age of 60.

Crew of Halifax PP362
Warrant Officer Sydney Albert Loosley (pilot) - survived, seriously injured with multiple burns
Flight Sergeant Francis John Porritt DFM (Navigator/Bomb Aimer, aged 28) RAF Service Number 629863 - killed on active service 11/10/1946, buried at Stonefall Cemetery, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Warrant Officer Arthur Gallagher (Flight Engineer) RAF Service Number 1083529, aged 24 - killed on active service 11/10/1946, buried at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Dipton, Stanley, County Durham
Sergeant M H Hewlett (Wireless Operator) RAF Service Number 1890451, aged 22 - killed on active service 11/10/1946, buried at St. Peter's & St. Paul's Churchyard, Dagenham, Essex

Rainton is a village in the Harrogate borough of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated about 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Boroughbridge, 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Ripon and 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Thirsk

1. Air Historical Branch (RAF), MoD and personal family records.
2. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.103: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
3. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. P.53 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
4. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.231
5. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain)
6. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-handley-page-hp63-halifax-vii-raf-dishforth-3-killed
7. https://www.eastgrinsteadmuseum.org.uk/patients/loosley/
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2624033/porritt,-francis-john/
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2837966/gallagher,-arthur/
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2721457/hewlett,-maurice-henry/
11. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=PP362
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainton

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
09-Nov-2008 05:07	ChristineLoosley	Updated
20-Sep-2010 13:14	BILLBEST	Updated [Aircraft type]
24-Sep-2013 02:10	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
04-Jun-2015 16:57	Angel dick one	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport]
12-Mar-2017 02:02	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
28-Oct-2018 17:20	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
27-Oct-2019 17:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source]
27-Oct-2019 23:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative]
29-May-2023 13:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Location, Source, Narrative]]