ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 75858
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| Date: | Saturday 15 May 1943 |
| Time: | 15:30 |
| Type: | Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk IB |
| Owner/operator: | 759 Sqn FAA RN |
| Registration: | V6760 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Downside Abbey School, Stratton on the Fosse, 10 mi. SW of Bath -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RNAS Yeovilton / HMS Heron |
| RNAS Yeovilton |
On Saturday, 15th of May, 1943 two Royal Navy Sea Hurricanes were on a training exercise from their base, HMS Heron at RNAS Yeovilton.
One of the planes was being flown by an instructor Sub-Lt J.B. Leeming and the other by a trainee fighter pilot, Sub-Lt ( A ) A.C. McCracken.
The exercise was to be one of ' tail chasing ' with the trainee following behind his instructor and the latter trying to shake him off. Standing instructions for such flights were that they were not to be carried out at less than 2,000 feet unless in an area approved for low flying.
Downside Abbey was outside such an area.
At about 1530 hours the two Sea Hurricanes began circling the Downside Abbey school grounds at what witnesses described as a very low altitude.
One of the planes went out of control while turning steeply, clipped a tree, and crashed into a crowd of boys watching a cricket match. Nine boys died as well as the pilot, Sub-Lieutenant ( A ) McCracken.
Fourteen other boys were injured, ten of them seriously.
Sub-Lt ( A ) Alan Cairnhill McCracken RNZNVR and 9 boys of Downside Abbey School. R.I.P.
Sources:
http://web.archive.org/web/20081202130056/http://www.ww2talk.com:80/forum/real-life-experiences/3287-downside-school.html
https://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate.aspx?casualty=2692030
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Jul-2010 13:44 | angels one five | Added |
| 22-Jul-2010 13:57 | angels one five | Updated [Source] |
| 06-Jun-2011 00:47 | Handbag | Updated [Date, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Jun-2011 00:49 | Anon. | Updated [Date, Source] |
| 08-Sep-2011 05:30 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 09-Nov-2011 02:34 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Jan-2012 13:21 | Nepa | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
| 05-Jan-2012 00:42 | angels one five | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
| 06-Jan-2012 08:01 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
| 09-Jan-2012 07:01 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Source] |
| 21-Jan-2012 04:58 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Source] |
| 12-Sep-2013 02:05 | angels one five | Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative] |
| 16-Jun-2014 07:43 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Damage] |
| 01-May-2015 15:03 | Dandy | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport] |
| 19-May-2015 22:21 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative] |
| 21-May-2015 08:40 | Angel dick one | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 20-Feb-2019 06:02 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 25-Nov-2020 23:03 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
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