Date:	Sunday 7 March 1943
Time:	day
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I
Owner/operator:	285 Sqn RAF
Registration:	AA353
MSN:	704
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Kingslee, Worthenbury Road, Crewe-by-Farndon, Cheshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Wrexham, Borras, Denbeighshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I AA353, 285 (AAC) Squadron, RAF Wrexham, Borras, Denbeighshire. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 7 March 1943 when abandoned in flight after engine failure. Aircraft came down at Kings Toy Farm, Kingslee, Worthenbury Road, Crewe by Farndon, Cheshire. Pilot - Flt. Sgt. R.T.Knight RAF - bailed out and parachuted to the ground unhurt.

285 Squadron RAF was a non-operational Second World War Royal Air Force squadron that operated a variety of aircraft to provide targets for anti-aircraft gun practice initially in the North Midlands and North Wales area. The squadron was formed at RAF Wrexham on 1 December 1941 from No. 9 Group AAC Flight. In 1944 the squadron moved to RAF Andover and then RAF North Weald before finally moving to RAF Weston Zoyland where it was disbanded on 26 June 1945.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft AA100-AZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain (2nd Edition) 2000 p.6)
2. ORB for 285 Squadron RAF for May 1941 to June 1945: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1620: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2504262
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81
4. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/military/Crashes_Wales_and_West_Midlands.pdf
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._285_Squadron_RAF
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Wrexham#Second_World_War
7. https://addressesandpostcodes.co.uk/address/jEeCr9LR/kingslee-worthenbury-road-crewe-by-farndon-chester-ch3-6pa.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Feb-2008 08:45	JINX	Added
12-Feb-2015 14:58	Taylor	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative]