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: | Sunday 11 July 1937 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Hawker Demon Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 608 (North Riding) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | K3768 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near RAF Thornaby, North Riding, North Yorkshire, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Thornaby, Yorkshire |
Hawker Demon K3768: Built to contract 246267/33 by Hawker Aircraft at Kingston-upon-Thames and allocated to Fighting Area for 41 Sqdn on the 23rd June 1934. It was later transferred for use in the Middle East on 10th October 1935 but returned to the UK to 1 ASU on 11 November 1936. It was issued to 608 Squadron on 15th January 1937
On 11th July 1937 the engine of this aircraft cut out after take-off from RAF Thornaby. According to an eyewitness statement: "On 11th July,1937 flying in formation with his Commanding Officer as pilot, the machine’s engine cut, and the plane crashed at RAF Thornaby. He was knocked out and came round in an ambulance, suffering from concussion! Not put off he joined up and served as a WOp/AG with 103 Sqdn BC – and was involved in three more crashes in Wellingtons (one a ditching, one baling out and one crash landing in Wales returning from ops) He spent 2 days in the North Sea in a dinghy injured and spent the rest of the war in 276 Sqdn on air sea rescue Walruses. Later in his RAF career he was a passenger in an Anson that crashed in Africa… and then flew with ELINT in Lincolns. Little could they have imagined any of this when the above was taken!"
The pilot force-landed K3768 in a field near RAF Thornaby damaging it, and it was later written off. The pilot would later rise to the very top of the RAF command.
Crew of K3768:
S/Ldr (90296) Geoffrey Hill AMBLER AFM (pilot) RAF: Ok.
AC1 (755392) Norman "Jock" CAMERON (Obs.) RAFVR: Slightly injured.
Squadron Leader Ambler was the CO of 608 (North Riding) Sqdn, RAF at the time of this incident. K3768 suffered Cat.W/FA in the incident detailed above. It was struck off charge on 4th September 1937.
Sources:
1. Air-Britain The K File The RAF of the 1930s
2. https://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2006/08/13/raf-thornaby-on-tees-1912-1939-2/
3. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/north/k3768.html
4. https://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2006/02/01/raf-thornaby-on-tees-1912-1939-10/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Oct-2009 15:01 | JINX | Added |
| 18-Jan-2012 07:15 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, ] |
| 14-Jul-2013 03:00 | JINX | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, ] |
| 02-Aug-2013 13:18 | JINX | Updated [Operator, Location, ] |
| 02-Aug-2013 14:50 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, ] |
| 03-Aug-2013 15:04 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Location, ] |
| 04-Aug-2013 06:56 | JINX | Updated [Operator, Location, ] |
| 02-Aug-2014 17:17 | JINX | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, ] |
| 28-Oct-2014 15:28 | BlB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, ] |
| 09-Jan-2015 21:05 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 09-Jan-2015 21:15 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 22-Jan-2016 06:31 | JINX | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Narrative, ] |
| 22-Feb-2016 08:29 | DG333 | Updated [Operator, Narrative, ] |
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