Date:	Sunday 29 May 2022
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	G-ALWW
MSN:	8636
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Location:	Bidford Airfield, Honeybourne Road, Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Standing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Bidford Airfield, Warwickshire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth 86366: Taken on charge as NL923 at 20 MU RAF Aston Down, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire 2.12.43. To 19 FTS RAF Cranwell, Sleaford, Lincolnshire 18.5.45; to RAF College, Cranwell 17.4.47; coded “FAE-H”. To 10 MU RAF Hullavington, Chippenham, Wiltshire 7.1.49 for long-term storage pending disposal. Struck off charge when sold 17.1.50 to Air Service Training Ltd, Hamble.

UK civil registered as G-ALWW (C of R 14904) 24.1.50 to Air Service Training Ltd, Hamble (registered as ex 'NL932' - presumably a typing error for NL923). C of A issued 31.3.50. New C of R R2204 issued April 1950. Registration cancelled 5.12.52 and re-registered 11.12.52 to Hants & Sussex Aviation Ltd, Portsmouth. C of A lapsed 14.9.53. Registration cancelled 12.4.56 and re-registered 21.4.56 to Norman Hugh Wilson, Alan Thomson & John Wallace Grose, trustees of the Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth Flying Group, Baginton, Coventry. C of A renewed 16.4.56. Registration cancelled and re-registered 1.12.58 to John Robert Stephen Nicholls & David Arundel Yeo O’Clarey (same operators). Registration cancelled 22.9.63 and re-registered 29.10.63 to David Arundel Yeo O’Clarey & Shiela Mary Hands (same operators). Also operated by Coventry Flying Club. Registration cancelled 8.11.63 as PWFU ("Permanently Withdrawn From Use") (but only notified to CAA on 29.8.67 and PWFU prior to C of A lapse on 21.3.64).

C of A renewed 14.10.65. Registered 5.9.67 to Drive Lease Ltd, Aston, Birmingham (based at Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire). Registration cancelled 21.8.75 and re-registered 9.2.76 to Frederick William [Bill] Fay, David Edward Findon, John Anthony Reynolds & Stephen James Dorrell, based Long Marston, later Bidford (both airfields in Warwickshire). Fitted with Gipsy Major #84891 in 1979]. C of A lapsed 20.1.88; probably after accident. Re-registered 23.8.88 to Frederick William Fay, David Edward Findon, John Anthony Reynolds & Denis Anthony Woodhams, based at Bidford. Warwickshire. Rebuilt at Bidford 1988-1990 and C of A renewed 15.12.90.

Re-registered 11.5.93 to David Edward Findon, trustee Stratford-upon-Avon Tiger Moth Group, Bidford, Warwickshire. Damaged in taxiing collision with a PA-25 at Bidford 21.4.10; According to the AAIB Report on this incident at the time (see link #4 for full report):

"During the final stages of taxiing for departure the pilot of the Tiger Moth gave way to a glider under tow. Once clear, and as he manoeuvred the Tiger Moth onto the grass runway, it collided with a Pawnee aircraft parked near the start of the runway. Both the Tiger Moth and Pawnee were damaged but there were no injuries. The pilot reported that his lookout may have been compromised by his attention becoming focussed on the glider under tow and on avoiding disturbing a second parked glider with his propeller slipstream".

Damage to airframe: Propeller strike, left wing interplane struts and flying wires damaged. Aircraft repaired and returned to service.

Sustained minor damage to the propeller when starting up at Bidford Airfield, Honeybourne Road, Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire. The pilot however sustained serious hand injuries. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Correspondence-only investigation, and the following is the summary from that investigation...

"Prior to engine start, whilst the pilot was rotating the propeller by hand, the engine fired on one cylinder and a blade hit and fractured the his hand. It was later established that there was an intermittent connection of the ‘p’ lead to the impulse (right magneto) in the contact breaker cap".

1. AAIB Correspondence-only investigation: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aaib-record-only-investigations-may-june-2022/aaib-record-only-investigations-reviewed-may-june-2022
2. CAA (History of G-ALWW 1950-63): https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ALWW-1.pdf
3. CAA (History of G-ALW 1963-76): https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ALWW-2.pdf
4. AAIB (accidnet on 21 April 2010): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f70ded915d1374000625/DH82A_Tiger_Moth__G-ALWW_08-10.pdf
5. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p863.html
7. https://www.greatcirclemapper.net/en/airport/bidford-airfield.html

de Havilland Tiger Moth at Bidford-on-Avon,Warwickshire,11 November 2012:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-Aug-2022 19:58	Dr. John Smith	Added