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| Date: | Monday 11 September 1944 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | Manufacturer |
| Registration: | PB579 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | High Lees Farm, Over Alderley, 3 miles S of Woodford, Cheshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | |
One of every 10th aircraft that was checked to its terminal velocity dive speed of 375mph to verify control effectiveness and ease of recovery. During the dive the fuel jettison pipes tore off, hit the tailplane and stripped the elevator skin. The aircraft dived vertically into the ground at Over Alderley, three miles south of Woodford. This was the only fatal accident involving a Lancaster out of the 3,958 tested at Woodford.
Crew:-
Pilot : Civilian Sid Gleave [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Civilian Harry Barnes [Killed]
Sources:
Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database http://robdavistelford.co.uk/webspace/raf_bc
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Aug-2013 01:47 | JINX | Added |
| 11-May-2020 19:41 | silkman | Updated [Location, Narrative, ] |
| 23-Oct-2025 06:40 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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