Date:	Wednesday 6 May 1953
Time:	day
Type:	North American AT-16 Harvard T.2B
Owner/operator:	6 FTS RAF
Registration:	FS757
MSN:	14A-897
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near RAF Tern Hill, Shropshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Tern Hill, Shropshire
Destination airport:	RAF Tern Hill, Shropshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Noorduyn AT-16-ND ex-USAAF 43-12598 (MSN 14A-897). Delivered to RAF as Harvard IIb FS757. To No 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit, Ternhill, Shropshire February 1945. To No 7 Service Flying Training School April 1945, RAF Westwood, Peterborough, coded "FBB-E".To No 1 (Pilot) Refresher Flying Unit, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire May 1948. To Station Flight, RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire October 1948.

To No 1 (Pilot) Refresher Flying Unit, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire January 1949 Coded "FDA-M".To Flying Refresher School, Finningley, Doncaster, Yorkshire May 1949. To No 101 Flying Refresher School, Finningley, Doncaster, Yorkshire April 1951. To No 6 Flying Training School, Little Rissington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire November 1951.

Written off (destroyed) when crashed during overshoot at Ternhill, Shropshire 6 May 1953: The aircraft was approaching to land at RAF Tern Hill, at the end of a training sortie, when the instructor pilot noticed another aircraft landing directly ahead, and told the Pupil Pilot to initiate an overshoot.

Power was applied, and the throttle opened to began the overshoot and climb away. Immediately, the engine began to run roughly, and engine power was lost. The Instructor Pilot then took control of the aircraft, and, as he turned the aircraft to port, the engine failed completely

A distress call was made to the ATC (Air Traffic Control) at RAF Tern Hill, and the Instructor Pilot turned the aircraft back to RAF Tern Hill, but was unable to make it back to the airfield, and crashed into a clear area to the north of the runway at Tern Hill. Both crew survived uninjured

Crew of Harvard FS757:
Flight Lieutenant B S E Bettie, RAF (QFI Instructor Pilot) - survived uninjured
Pilot Officer (4085274) R C Haven, RAF (Pupil Pilot Under Instruction) - survived uninjured

The subsequent RAF Board of Inquiry into the incident attributed the engine failure to a crack in the No.2 engine cylinder.

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. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 366
3. The Harvard File (John F Hamlin, Air Britain, 1988 p.91)
4. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Apr-2021 23:18	Dr. John Smith	Added
27-Apr-2021 09:20	Emil	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
01-May-2021 22:00	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]