Date:	Saturday 17 May 1941
Time:	03:50
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I
Owner/operator:	54 OTU RAF
Registration:	N1573
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Bishop Wood, Biggin, 3 miles E of RAF Church Fenton, West Yorkshire. -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Defiant N1573: Took off at 03:45 hrs for a Training flight. 17/05/1941.
Crashed on take-off at night at Bishop Wood, Biggin, 3 miles east of RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire. The plane went into the ground at speed when taking off. This was during night flying practice, at 03:50 hrs; and it is presumed he failed to use his instruments. Of the two crew, one was killed, and one was seriously injured
Crew:
Sgt (990448) Vernon Mainwaring RUSSELL (pilot) RAFVR: injured
F/Sgtt (535102) Reginald COWAN (Air Gunner) RAF : killed

Vernon Mainwaring Russell later recovered from his injuries and received a commission on 20 June 1944 to the rank of Pilot Officer on probation (emergency). He stayed in the RAF in the Post-War years working in the Equipment Branch, on 1 May 1957 he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant.

Defiant N1573 was built to contract by Boulton and Paul Ltd. at Wolverhampton and awaiting collection in June 1940 and was immediately placed into long term MU storage. It was eventually taken on charge by 55 O.T.U. at Aston Down in November 1940 but on 10th December 1940 all of 55 O.T.U. Defiants were passed to 54 O.T.U. based at Church Fenton. As a result of the accident near Biggin on 17th May 1941 Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage was the damage assessment and the aircraft was struck off charge.

Biggin is a village and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, north-west of Selby. The village was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britsain, 1977 p.9)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/6472: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16755770
3. ORB 54 OTU RAF for May 1941: National Archives (PRO Kew)
4. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2438952/reginald-cowan/
5. https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york41/n1573.html
6. https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/uk/raf/defiant/defiant-n1573/
7. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/military/Crashes_in_Northern_England.pdf
8. https://www.flickr.com/photos/135768186@N08/30368513398 [Grave marker of Flt/Sgt Cowan]
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biggin,_North_Yorkshire

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