Date:	Thursday 17 July 1941
Time:	11:30
Type:	Martin 167 Maryland Mk II
Owner/operator:	12 Sqn SAAF
Registration:	1655
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	4 km NE of Suez -   Egypt
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Shandur
Destination airport:

Narrative:
On 17 July 1941 the Maryland II 1655 of 12 Sqn SAAF took off from its Egpytian base of Shandur for a gunnery practice flight. It crashed at 1130 hrs 4 km NE of Suez, killing the four SAAF crew (2nd Lt Reginald A. W. Blatherwick (pilot), Plt Off Alan Stewart Middleton, Air Sgt Adam Morthimus Fowler and Air Sgt James Selwyn Dunn), and was totally destroyed. A Court of Enquiry was held on the 19th and concluded that the accident arose through the aircraft being power stalled in attempting recovery from a dive after testing its front gun.

12 Sqn SAAF War History, May 1940 to December 1941 (AIR 54/4, page 290)
"Royal Air Force Bomber Losses in the Middle East and Mediterranean. Volume 1: 1939-1942", by David Gunby and Pelham Temple. ISBN 978-1-85780-234-4, page 74
https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=SAAF%201655
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez
http://www.maplandia.com/egypt/urban-governates/as-suways-suez/suez/

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Sep-2023 14:47	Laurent Rizzotti	Added