Date:	Monday 14 January 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Bristol Beaufort Mk IIA
Owner/operator:	17 SFTS RAF
Registration:	ML476
MSN:	11622
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Bristol Beaufort Mk IIA ML476,17 SFTS (Service Flying Training School), RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 14-1-46

ML476 was 47th of 229 aircraft ordered from the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Filton, Bristol, Somerset, to contract 136959/40. Delivered as 130 Mk. IA and 81 Mk. IIA between November 1943 and November 1944. Although the Beaufort was deemed obsolescent by the RAF by 1944, two batches totalling 24 aircraft had been sold to the Turkish Air Force. As part of the sale deal, the Turkish pilots were training in the UK, and three of the aircraft sold to Turkey were wrecked in training accidents in the UK before delivery.

At least eleven, but more likely, twelve, Beaufort IAs were delivered to Turkey in 1944 and another twelve Mk. IIAs were delivered in 1945. All twenty-four were assigned to 105 TRG TAF and were operated until 1950.

Beaufort ML476 was the first of the three to be wrecked in the UK before delivery. While on a training sortie from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire on 14-1-46, and having feathered the port engine as part of an asymmetric flying training sortie, the port engine would not give full engine power when the engine was unfeathered. The Turkish pilot under training therefore had to bellyland the aircraft. Although the aircraft was written off ("deemed damaged beyond repair") the pilot was uninjured.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.28 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.34
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100-MZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. Robertson, Bruce. Beaufort Special. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1976. ISBN 0-7110-0667-9.
5. 17 SFTS ORB (Operations Record Book) for the period 1-2-20 to 31-12-49: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/699 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4100408
6. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.93: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
7. http://www.britishaviation-ptp.com/b/bristol_type152.html
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bristol_Beaufort_operators#Turkey
9. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1945-49-incident-logs#1946
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Waddington

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
31-May-2021 19:24	Dr. John Smith	Added
31-May-2021 19:26	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
31-May-2021 19:28	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
31-May-2021 20:58	Faun	Updated [Operator, Operator]
01-Jun-2021 21:15	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
01-Jun-2021 21:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
27-Jul-2023 20:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Source]]