ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 277244
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| Date: | Friday 17 April 1942 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Supermarine Spitfire MkIa |
| Owner/operator: | 53 OTU |
| Registration: | X4990 & X4993 |
| MSN: | 1410 & 1413 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | RAF Llandow perimeter. -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RAF Llandow |
| Return. |
Details:
X4990 csn 1410, first flew on the 23rd of January 1941 and after fitting out with 39MU on the 29th 0f January before being sent to 501 squadron on the 10th of May. The following day she was taken on an air test by P/O MacKenzie DFC, she was flying again in the afternoon on a fighter patrol by S/Ldr Holden along with 7 other Spitfires and because the squadron was in the middle of equipment upgrade, 8 Hurricanes still with the squadron. By May, the squadron started another upgrade by being allocated the mark 2 Spitfire, by the end of June the process was completed and X4990 found herself being moved to 53 OTU.
X4993 first flew on the 24th of January and was only three behind X4990 in the production line at Eastleigh. She went to 6MU for fitting out on the 1st of February. According to Spitfire records, on the 4th, she went to 611 squadron and eight days later she was involved in a flying accident resulting in cat’ A damage? Squadron records for this time do not show X4993 on strength also around this time there was no flying due to heavy snow?? (Such are the perils of researching wartime records! However, what is known is X4993 came to 53 OUT on the 20th of October 1941 after repair, a day after X4844 (see yesterdays crash memorandum!)
X4990 and X4993 were flying on this date, the 17th of April, and were involved in formation flying, taking off and landing. They were on approach to Llandow from the west when they touched! It is not known if the cause was thermal or pilot related but they were quite low, with the undercarriage and flaps lowered and zero margin for recovery. Both aircraft came down quite heavily, collapsing the undercarriage. Both pilots were injured!
As for the aircraft, both were written off on the 17th of April 1942.
Crew:
X4990:
Sgt H. A. Terris RCAF. Injured.
X4993:
Sgt Harry Robert Hanscom 20yo J/88672 RCAF. Injured. @
Buried:
Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. 9. C. 15.
Wreckage:
All removed.
Additional Information:
Harry Hanscom had been promoted to the rank of Flying Officer which brought a replacement service number R66380. He originated from Mimico, Ontario. He went on to serve with No’443 (Hornet Squadron) and was flying Spitfire XVI SM664 on an armed reconnaissance on the 21st of April 1945 but did not return! He was last seen flying at 12,000 feet over Neustadt, Germany.
As for Sgt Terris, it appears he survived the war.
Sources:
rafcommands.com
www.airhistory.org.uk
nationalarchives.gov
www.rcafassociation.ca
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Apr-2022 05:19 | Davies 62 | Added |
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