Date:	Friday 29 March 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Miles Martinet TT Mk 1
Owner/operator:	CFE RAF
Registration:	HP487
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Atcham, 5 miles east of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Taxi
Nature:	Banner and glider towing
Departure airport:	RAF West Raynham, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Atcham, Shropshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Miles Martinet TT.1 HP487/NX-M, CFE (Central Fighter Establishment), Fighter Leaders School, RAF. Written off in a taxiing accident at RAF Atcham on 29 March 1946. Towards the end of, and after, World War 2, the Central Fighter Establishment had several subsidiary units as part of its empire, one of which was the Fighter Leaders School. 'NX' was a code combination used by some of CFE’s support aircraft, Master GT IIs and Martinet TT Is, and it is believed that these particular aircraft were part of the FLS. Examples were Master GT II NX:D (DL224) and Martinet TT Mk.1 NX-M (HP487). The unit was based at RAF West Raynham, Fakenham, Norfolk from 1 October 1945 to 15 March 1958, when it was renamed the Day Fighter Combat School. Martinet TT.Mk.1 HP487's mission was to tow banner targets, using RAF Atcham as a forward operating base

Written off (deemed "damaged beyond economic repair") 29 March 1946 in a taxiing accident at RAF Atcham, near Shrewsbury, Shropshire. A Schraeder valve in the aircraft's hydraulic brake system was leaking, and this allowed the brake pressure to fail. However, the failure was "disguised" while in flight, with the pressure being maintained at an acceptable level by the engine driven hydraulic pumps.

However, when the pilot shut down the engine in the final stages of taxiing to the allocated parking slot, the engine driven pumps ceased, the brake hydraulic pressure failed completely, and the brakes became ineffective. While the aircraft was taxiing at RAF Atcham a low speed, it failed to stop, and ran into a wall.

RAF Atcham is a former Royal Air Force station located 5 miles (8 km) east of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, on the north eastern boundary of Attingham Park. Atcham was returned to the RAF Flying Training Command on 14 March 1945 becoming a satellite of RAF Tern hill. No. 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit RAF ((P)AFU) and No. 6 Service Flying Training School RAF (SFTS). No. 577 Squadron RAF target towing with Airspeed Oxfords, Spitfires and Vultee A-31 Vengeances used the airfield until the end of the war.

Atcham was abandoned on 22 October 1946 and disposed of on 20 January 1958

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.34 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.93
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft HA000-HZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. https://archive.org/stream/Airfix_Magazine_1976_08/Airfix_Magazine_1976_08_djvu.txt
5. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=%20HP487
6. http://www.newmp.org.uk/article.php?categoryid=100&articleid=1501&displayorder=9
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Atcham#Back_to_Royal_Air_Force_control

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Jul-2021 21:41	Dr. John Smith	Added
04-Jul-2021 22:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator]
04-Jul-2021 22:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
04-Jul-2021 23:21	Faun	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]
05-Jul-2023 18:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]]