This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.
| Date: | Monday 14 November 1938 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Hawker Audax Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 144 Squadron, RAF |
| Registration: | K7417 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Patrington, Holderness, East Yorkshire, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Montrose, Forfarshire, Scotland |
| RAF Hemswell, Heapham, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire |
Hawker Audax K7417: On 14th November 1938 this 144 Squadron aircraft was undertaking a flight from Montrose back to Hemswell where the aircraft and crew were normally based. As the aircraft was over East Yorkshire the pilot attempted to switch the fuel supply from one tank to another. Unfortunately, it was later thought that there was an airlock in the system and this caused the aircraft to suffer engine failure. The pilot forced landed near Patrington but the aircraft ran into a soft area in the field, the wheels dug in and the aircraft flipped up onto its nose. Unfortunately, the passenger was thrown out as it lurched forward despite being informed by the pilot to strap himself in, he had apparently undone the straps just prior to the landing. The passenger sustained serious injuries and was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary where he sadly died later that day.
Pilot - Flying Officer Frank Cunniff Stibbard RAF (37531). Slightly injured.
Passenger - AC1 Sydney David McNaughton RAF, aged 22, of Dundee. Died Hull Royal Infirmary on 14-11-1938. Burial location unknown.
According to the official Air Ministry announcement in "Flight" magazine (November 24, 1938, page 479 - see link #4):
"FLYING ACCIDENTS
A/C.1 Sydney David McNaughton died in the Hull Royal Infirmary on November 14, as the result of injuries received in an accident which occurred the same day at Patrington, Yorkshire, to an aircraft of No. 144 (Bomber) Squadron, Hemswell, Lincolnshire. F/O Frank Cunniff Stibbard, the pilot, was slightly injured."
Frank Stibbard was the son of Percy William and Mabel Nelley (nee Bailey) Stibbard, he was born on 8th July 1914 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Having travelled to the UK he was granted a Short Service Commission in the RAF as Acting P/O on probation in January 1936. After training at 8 F.T.S. at Montrose he was posted to 214 Squadron on 16th August 1936 being posting to 144 Squadron at Hemswell on 20th March 1937. He was promoted to Flying Officer on 18th June 1938, Flight Lieutenant on 18th June 1940, Squadron Leader (temp) on 1st September 1941 and to Wing Commander on an unknown date. He appears to have served within armament and munitions units in India during at least part of the war. He resigned his commission on 2nd September 1950 while in the rank of Wing Commander. He died in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada in August 1997
Hawker Audax K7417 was built to Contract No.437223/35 by Avro and was one of a batch of 162 aircraft delivered between July and November 1936. On 3rd December 1936 it was flown to No.3 Aircraft Storage Unit and was then taken on charge by 144 Squadron on 18th March 1937. Cat. R damage was sustained as a result of the mishap at Patrington on 14th November 1938 and it was repaired on site (possibly in the field at Patrington, or possibly at Catfoss airfield or even after being taken back to Hemswell airfield. It appears to have remain in use by 144 Squadron until 20th September 1939 when it was flown to 6 M.U. on 20th September 1939 and placed into store. On 29th September 1940 it was taken on charge by No.1 S.A.C. and days later transferred to the SAAF where it was re-serialled as 1802 and taken on charge by No.2 F.T.S. It was struck off charge on 7th August 1943.
Patrington is a large village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness, 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Hedon, 16 miles (26 km) south-east of Kingston upon Hull and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Withernsea on the A1033.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft K1000-K9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1976 page 60)
2. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1939.htm
3. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205401150
4. (paywall) https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1938/1938%20-%203317.PDF
5. https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york38/k7417.html
6. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/280124/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrington
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Feb-2008 17:12 | JINX | Added |
| 03-Dec-2017 22:59 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 16-Mar-2018 22:48 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Registration, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Narrative, ] |
| 16-Mar-2018 23:01 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 16-Mar-2018 23:01 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 17-Oct-2018 05:29 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator, ] |
| 07-Jul-2023 20:45 | Nepa | Updated |
| 10-Aug-2025 17:12 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation