Date:	Thursday 4 July 1963
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Westwick Distributors Ltd
Registration:	G-APFS
MSN:	3741
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Ashmore Hall Farm, Wickham Market, Woodbridge, Suffolk -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Agricultural
Departure airport:	Ludham, Norfolk
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 3741 (Gipsy Major #80686); Taken on charge by the RAF as N5473 at 24 MU, RAF Ternhill, Shropshire 25.10.38. To 7 E&RFTS RAF Desford 24.4.39. Unit renamed 7 EFTS upon outbreak of war 3.9.39. To 12 MU RAF Kirkbride, Cumberland 27.7.45. To 1 RFS RAF Panshanger, Hertfordshire 16.8.49 coded “RCM-K”. To 11 RFS RAF Perth/SCone, Perthshire 23.6.50 coded “RCR-S”. To 9 MU RAF Cosford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire 7.5.51. To 2 Grading School, RAF Digby, Scopwick, Lincolnshire 3.9.51; renamed Airwork Grading Unit 15.1.52. To 1 Grading Unit 9.6.52 coded “63”. Ferried to 12 MU RAF Kirkbride, Cumberland 11.3.53 for long-term storage pending disposal.

Struck off charge when sold 18.11.53 to A J Whittemore (Aeradio) Ltd, Croydon Airport, Croydon, Surrey and stored for several years. UK civil registered as G-APFS (C of R R6117/1) 27.8.57 to Rollason Aircraft & Engines Ltd, Croydon. CofA issued 5.3.58. Registration cancelled/lapsed 15.3.58 and re-registered (C of R R6117/2) 8.7.58 to Crop Culture (Aerial) Ltd, Bembridge, Isle of Wight; converted to crop sprayer at Portsmouth Airport, Portsmouth, Hampshire in May 1958.

Badly damaged in crash after take-off at Wilsford, Pewsey, Wiltshire while crop spraying 13.8.58; repaired and returned to service. Badly damaged when struck concrete post and fence in forced landing whilst spraying near Boston, Lincolnshire 1.3.59; repaired and returned to service. On 24.5.59, this aircraft was being used to spray crops in the area of Broughton in Furness, Cumberland, but during a take off run it failed to become airborne so the pilot abandoned the take off; the aircraft crashed and was damaged. Pilot: Mr R S Milson. Repaired and returned to service

To Airspray (Colchester) Ltd in 1960. Registration cancelled/lapsed 8.2.61 and re-registered (C of R R6117/3) 10.2.61 to Westwick Distributors Ltd, Norwich, Norfolk (aircraft based at Foulsham, Norfolk, later Ludham). Badly damaged when hit HT cables at Guestwick, Norfolk while crop spraying 16.7.61; rebuilt at Croydon Airport.

Crashed spraying Ashmore Hall Farm, Wickham Market, Woodbridge, Suffolk 4.7.63; The aircraft was making a low-level run across a field to indicate to the ground marker man the direction of the intended spraying runs. Half way across the field the pilot sighted a line of telephone wires which had not been noticed during the previous ground and in-flight inspections. He took evasive action to fly under the wires but a wingtip struck the ground and the aircraft turned over.

Wickham Market is a large village and electoral ward situated in the River Deben valley of Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coastal heritage area.

Registration cancelled 19.8.63 as 'destroyed'. Remains dumped at Ludham, Norfolk in 10.63

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
2. The British Civil Aircraft Register G-APAA to G-APZZ (Bernard Martin, Air Britain, 1978 p.26)
3. Survey of accidents to aircraft in the United Kingdom 1963 / CAA
4. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-APFS-1.pdf
5. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-APFS-2.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p037.html
7. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
8. Tiger Moth G-APFS various photos 1959-61: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/registration/G-APFS
9. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/lakes/apfs.html
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickham_Market

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
01-Jul-2009 23:28	VHKDK	Added
18-Mar-2012 18:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
18-Mar-2012 19:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Departure airport]
04-Jun-2012 13:47	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Embed code]
27-May-2015 16:05	harro	Updated [Source, Narrative]
20-Dec-2021 23:05	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, Category]