Date:	Tuesday 23 April 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Airspeed Oxford Mk I
Owner/operator:	21 (P) AFU RAF
Registration:	LX134
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near RAF Seighford, 4 miles NW of Stafford, Staffordshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Seighford, Staffordshire
Destination airport:	RAF Wheaton Aston, Staffordshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Airspeed Oxford Mk.1 LX134, 21 (P) AFU (21 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF), RAF Seighford, Staffordshire. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 23 April 1946 in a take off accident at RAF Seighford.

During the takeoff run, the starboard engine failed at 100 feet agl, and the crew could not maintain height nor climb away from RAF Seighford on the power of one engine alone. Due to this, the crew decided to make an immediate ' wheels up' forced belly landing in a field 'straight ahead' (in line with the runway) one mile from RAF Seighford. Although the Oxford was written off (Deemed FACE - Flying Accident Cat. E - and therefore "damaged beyond economic repair", neither of the two crew were injured

Crew of Oxford LX134
Flight Lieutenant E. Booth (pilot) - survived uninjured
Sergeant E H Willimans (navigator) - survived uninjured

RAF Seighford is a former Royal Air Force station located 3.6 miles (5.8 km) northwest of Stafford, Staffordshire, England. The site was opened as a satellite/relief landing ground for RAF Hixon, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) to the east. 21(P) AFU was headquartered at RAF Wheaton Aston, with RAF Seighford being used as a RLG (Relief Landing Ground) from February 1945 to July 1946. (The Operations Record Book - see link #5 - states "21 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit (AFU), based at Wheaton Aston, Perton and other UK locations")

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.39. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.129
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft LA100-LZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. The Oxford, Consul & Envoy File (John F Hamlin, Air Britain, 2001 p.171)
5. 21 (P) AFU ORB (Operational Record Book) for the period 1-7-43 to 31-7-47: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/549/4 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160833
6. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.98: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._215_Advanced_Flying_School_RAF#Previous_identities
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Wheaton_Aston
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Seighford#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
13-Jul-2021 08:04	Dr. John Smith	Added
13-Jul-2021 08:18	Harry	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
29-Jun-2023 21:13	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Operator, Location, Operator]]