Date:	Friday 29 March 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Airspeed AS-58 Horsa Mk II
Owner/operator:	21 HGCU RAF
Registration:	RX559
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Barton-on-Humber, East Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Airspeed AS-58 Horsa Mk.II RX559, 21 HGCU (Heavy Glider Conversion Unit), RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 29 March 1946. The pilot was being towed by a Handley Page Halifax tow tug, but the pilot of the Horsa failed to maintain the correct towing position behind the towing aircraft. This began to affect the towing aircraft's balance (the towing aircraft becane "tail up, nose down") so the pilot of the Horsa cast off the tow rope. As the Horsa had not gained enough airspeed or altitude, the pilot decided to make a forced landing in a field at Barton-on-Humber. The Horsa undershot the forced landing and "wiped off" the undercarrriage.

Although the Horsa was written off as "damaged beyond economic repair" (FACE - Flying Accident Cat.E) the pilot appears to have ewscaped uninjured.

Barton-upon-Humber (or Barton) is a town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the south bank of the Humber Estuary at the southern end of the Humber Bridge. It is 46 miles (74 km) east of Leeds, 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Kingston upon Hull and 31 miles (50 km) north north-east of the county town of Lincoln. Other nearby towns include Scunthorpe to the south-west and Grimsby to the south-east.

1. Halley, James (1999). Brokenl Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.35 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.112
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA000-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 21 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit (HGCU) RAF ORB: (Operations Record Book) for the period 1-7-42 to 30-11-47: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/526/2 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160810
5. http://www.bcar.org.uk/elsham-history.php
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conversion_units_of_the_Royal_Air_Force
7. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1945-49-incident-logs#1946
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Elsham_Wolds#Post_war
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barton-upon-Humber

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Jul-2021 20:50	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-Jul-2021 21:03	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]