Date:	Sunday 18 January 1948
Time:	10:55
Type:	de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito NF Mk 30
Owner/operator:	500 (County of Kent) Sqn RAF
Registration:	NT619
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF stn Gravesend, Thong Lane, Gravesend, Kent, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF West Malling, Maidstone, Kent
Destination airport:	RAF Gravesend, Thong Lane, Gravesend, Kent,

Narrative:
Mosquito NT619:Took off at 10:45 hrs for an engine test after the fuel pump repair. 18/01/1948.
When airborne the aircraft appeared to be perfectly serviceable and a climb was commenced. On reaching 1,400ft there was a sudden and complete loss of power from the starboard engine. According to the pilot "it felt as though someone had switched off both magnetos". An attempt was made to feather the starboard propeller but this was unsuccessful. As height was being lost a belly landing with full flap was carried out at RAF Gravesend. From the first point of impact to the final resting place was only 28 yards!
The port propeller and reduction gear were torn off, but both of the men escaped no serious injury.
Inspection was concentrated on the starboard engine which had been reported as having cut-out during the flight, but everything appeared to have been satisfactory. The engine was sent to Rolls Royce for further investigation, and they discovered that the dural drive gear for the fuel pump had failed. A couple of hours previous to the flight, this fuel pump had been changed owing to shearing of the quill drive shaft. The fitters had neglected to change the associated drive, and Rolls Royce concluded that it had been the shock loading from the original failure that caused the breakdown of the dural drive gear. No reason could be found for the inability to feather the propeller.
Crew:
F/Lt (122820) Richard William LEGGETT (pilot) RAFVR - Ok
F/Lt (40904) Ernest Robert HANSLIP (The Sqn Engineer Officer /pass.) RAF - Ok

1. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH98%20prodn%20list.txtt
2. ORB 500 Sqdn RAF: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2494:
3. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505132
4. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents.
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/29/W2408:
6. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578254
7. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=2702.0.
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravesend_Airport

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
20-Apr-2014 12:11	Nepa	Added
31-Jul-2014 11:52	Earl	Updated [Location, Narrative]
03-Jun-2015 16:08	Z. Zeeland	Updated [Operator, Location]
31-Jul-2015 10:08	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type]
04-Mar-2016 19:25	Doyle	Updated [Narrative]
18-Sep-2019 18:30	Nepa	Updated [Other fatalities, Narrative, Operator]
28-Nov-2019 18:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]
18-Aug-2021 09:59	Next	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Source, Narrative, Operator]
18-Nov-2021 20:37	Nepa	Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator]
19-Jun-2022 11:24	Nepa	Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator]
01-May-2023 18:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Source, Narrative, Operator]]
01-May-2023 19:07	Nepa	Updated [[[Source, Narrative, Operator]]]