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Date: | Thursday 23 November 1961 |
Time: | day |
Type: | Fairey Firefly U Mk 9 |
Owner/operator: | 728B Sqn FAA RN |
Registration: | VT430 |
MSN: | F.8330 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | Mediterranean Sea, off Hal Far -
Malta
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | HMS Falcon, RNAS Hal Far, Malta |
Destination airport: | |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Fairey Firefly U.9 Drone: Delivered to Fairey Aircraft Ltd., Ringway Airport, Manchester 27/4/1956 for conversion from Firefly FR.5 to U.9 drone. First flown as a Firefly U.9 on 10/1/1957 at Ringway Airport, Manchester. Delivered 16/6/1957 to Short Brothers & Harland Ltd at RAE Llanbedr coded "V".
Returned to Fairey Aircraft at Ringway Airport, Manchester 9/1/1959 for refurbishment. Issued 27/8/1960 to 728B Squadron FAA RN at HMS Falcon, RNAS Hal Far, Malta coded "596/HF".
Written off (destroyed) 23/11/1961; Destroyed when shot down by a Sea Vixen from HMS Centaur and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, off Hal Far, Malta.
Formally Struck Off Charge as Cat.5(s) on 23/11/1961. Total flying time on airframe as a Firefly U.9: 284.25 hours.
Note: Two Firefly U.9s were shot down on 23/11/1961 - VT413 and VT430. One was shot down by a Sea Vixen from HMS Centaur and one by a Supermarine Scimitar from HMS Ark Royal. However, available records do not clearly state which aircraft was shot down by the Sea Vixen, and which by the Scimitar, so it is presumed (but not confirmed) that the Sea Vixen shot down VT430.
Sources:
1. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant, Lee Howard & Mick Burrows, Air Britain, 2004 p.265)
2.
http://www.aviationinmalta.com/MilitaryAviation/AccidentsMilitary/19601969/tabid/652/language/en-US/Default.aspx 3.
http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VT 4.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_fairey_firefly_U9.html Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
06-Sep-2020 22:32 |
Dr. John Smith |
Added |
07-Sep-2020 09:38 |
harry |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator] |