Date:	Tuesday 22 December 1953
Time:	day
Type:	Avro Lancaster B Mk III GR
Owner/operator:	School of Maritime Reconnaissance RAF
Registration:	TX265
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF St. Eval, Cornwall, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF St. Mawgan, Newquay, Cornwall
Destination airport:	RAF St. Eval, Cornwall
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B.Mk.III (GR), School of Maritime Reconnaissance RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 22/12/1953 when crashed on approach to RAF St. Eval, Cornwall

The Lancaster was making a final GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) to RAF St. Eval at the end of a radar navgation training sortie which had taken off from RAF St. Mawgan, Cornwall. Due to a misunderstanding of instructions from the GCA Talkdown Controller, the pilot attempted to go to a visual approach, using VFR (Visual Flight Reference) protocols too early. The Lancaster descended rapidly, and the pilot attempted to remedy the situation by overshooting, but lost directional control and and struck the ground 400 yards short of the runway at RAF St.Eval.

Of the five crew, three were uninjured, but two passengers (both of Squadron Leader Rank) sustained minor injuries. The Lancaster was written off as "damaged beyond econmic repair"

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.144 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 Colin Cummings p.437
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain 1985 p.56)
4. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
5. https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/340224-lancaster-write-off-st-eval-1953-a.html
6. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-avro-683-lancaster-iii-raf-st-eval
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_St_Eval#Post_World_War_II

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Mar-2013 17:48	Dr. John Smith	Added
28-Dec-2014 03:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
29-Nov-2018 09:59	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator]
03-Feb-2020 01:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative]
12-Jun-2020 08:35	BlB	Updated [Operator, Operator]
12-Jun-2020 08:58	AlLach	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Narrative, Operator]
25-May-2021 16:31	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
25-May-2021 21:17	BlB	Updated [Operator, Operator]