Stolen from Thorney Island
Curiously another stolen / illegal flight has come to light, this time of a Varsity from Thorney Island in April 1955. Five died (the pilot - an airframe mechanic who had a PPL) and four on the ground in France.
As recorded in the Aviation Safety Network:
Accident description
languages: Status:
Date: 26 APR 1955
Type: Vickers Varsity T.1
Operator: Royal Air Force - RAF
Registration: WF426
C/n / msn: 569
First flight: 1952
Crew: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Ground casualties: Fatalities: 4
Airplane damage: Written off
Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Onnaing (France)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature: Illegal Flight
Departure airport: Thorney Island RAF Station, United Kingdom
Destination airport: -
Narrative:
The Varsity was taken on an unauthorised flight by a mechanic. The aircraft crossed the Channel but crashed into a farmhouse at Onnaing, near Valenciennes in northern France.
Sources:
» Broken Wings : Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents / James J. Halley
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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