Date:	Monday 4 May 1953
Time:	day
Type:	Bristol Beaufighter TT Mk 10
Owner/operator:	5 CAACU RAF
Registration:	RD815
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Banner and glider towing
Departure airport:	RAF Hawarden, Flintshire (EGNR)
Destination airport:	RAF Hawarden, Flintshire (EGNR)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Bristol Beaufighter TT.Mk.10 RD815: 5 CAACU (Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-Operation Unit) RAF. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 4/5/1953 when crashed at RAF Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales.

Almost immediately after becoming airborne from RAF Hawarden, on a banner target towing sortie, the port engine of Beaufighter RD815 failed. It was not feasible to land straight ahead, so the pilot got the aircraft to climb to an altitude of approximately 50 feet. Having achieved this, the pilot then put the Beaufighter into a low level circuit, and then returned to RAF Harwarden for an asymmetric (single engine) crash landing.

The engine failure was later discovered by the RAF Board of Inquiry into the incident to be due to a disconnnected linkage in the engine control systems, caused by an error in reassembly while the aircraft was being serviced. The pilot was commended for his skill and judgement during the incident

Crew of Beaufighter RD815:
PIlot Officer (2604530) W K Massey, RAF (pilot) - survived uninjured.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.144 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.364

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Apr-2021 21:51	Dr. John Smith	Added
04-May-2021 16:57	Fanda	Updated [Operator, Operator]