Date:	Wednesday 19 December 1956
Time:	day
Type:	Fairey Firefly U.8
Owner/operator:	RAE Llanbedr
Registration:	WM858
MSN:	F.8913
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Cardigan Bay, NW of RAE Llanbedr, near Harlech, Gwynedd -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAE Llanbedr, Gwynedd (EGOD)
Destination airport:	RAE Llanbedr, Gwynedd (EGOD)

Narrative:
Fairey Firefly U.8 WM858: Ordered from Fairey Aircraft Ltd., Heaton Chapel, Stockport, Cheshire as a Firefly AS.7, but completed as a Firefly U.8 drone. First flown as such at Ringway Airport, Manchester 26/3/1954. Delivered to RAE Aberporth 21/7/1954.

Returned to Fairey Aircraft Ltd at Ringway Airport, Manchester for rectification work. Upon completion of this work, delivered to HMS Nuthatch, RNAS Anthorn RDU, Cumberland 23/3/1955. Returned to Fairey Aircraft at Ringway Airport, Manchester for overhaul 31/1/1956. Upon completion of this work, delivered to RAE Llanbedr 17/11/1956

Written off (destroyed) 19/12/1956: Crashed into Cardigan Bay, North West of RAE Llanbedr, near Harlech, Gwynedd aft remote ground control lost.

Formally Struck Off Charge as Cat.ZZ on 30/1/1957.

1. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant, Lee Howard & Mick Burrows, Air Britain, 2004 p.299)
2. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WM
3. Firefly U.8 WM858 (and WM859) at Ringway, Manchester 18/7/1954: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/18341/WM858
4. http://www.ukserials.com/losses_drones.htm
5. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1322800
6. https://www.airliners.net/photo/UK-Navy/Fairey-Firefly-U8/2021064/L

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Sep-2020 17:06	Dr. John Smith	Added
14-Sep-2020 17:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]