Then there was the sorry saga of WF426; a ground mechanic (allegedly from the Indian Air Force) decided one Sunday afternoon at Thorney Island to go flying on his own and so demonstrate how good he was at flying aeroplanes. This would hopefully persuade someone in authority that he should be sent on a pilot's course. It has to be said that Plan A contained some muddled thinking.
He got airborne OK but had some difficulty reuniting WF426 with Thorney Island. After several failed approaches he decided to head east whilst he came up with Plan B. Sadly, he ran out of fuel and killed himself and a couple of people on the ground somewhere near Beauvais.
I believe the date was 05 April 1955.