Date:	Thursday 26 June 1952
Time:	day
Type:	Bristol Beaufighter TT Mk X
Owner/operator:	1 CAACU RAF
Registration:	RD855
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Thames Estuary, off Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Banner and glider towing
Departure airport:	RAF Hornchurch, Essex
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Beaufighter RD855: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 26/06/1952 when ditched into the Thames Estuary, off Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey, Kent. During a ground-to-air firing exercise, the starboard wing of Beaufighter RD855, which was towing the banner target, was struck by anti-aircraft shells, and burst into flame.

The fire spread quickly to the mainplane and tail unit, and so the crew decided to ditch into the waters of the Thames Estuary off Sheerness. After ditching, the crew of two (pilot and target towing winch operator) took to the on board liferaft, and, from there, were rescued by an RAF Air-Sea Rescue launch

The "friendly fire" incident was attributed to faulty operating procedures among the anti-aircraft gunnery crews. (Plus a little over-enthusiastic and/or inaccurate shooting!)

1 CAACU (Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-Operation Unit) was operated by Short Brothers & Harland Ltd., Rochester, Kent, under contract to the Air Ministry, and based at RAF Hornchurch, Essex. It was formed on 1 January 1951 and disbanded on 31 December 1956.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.130 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 Colin Cummings p 261
3. https://www.key.aero/article/towing-line
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheerness

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Mar-2021 21:07	Dr. John Smith	Added
12-Mar-2021 22:11	Xindel	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]