Date:	Thursday 16 September 1948
Time:
Type:	de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito T Mk III
Owner/operator:	608 (County of North Riding) Sqn RAF
Registration:	VA876
MSN:	RAO-P
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near A1044 Yarm to Acklam Road, Yarm, North Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Thornaby, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:	RAF Middleton St. George, Co. Durham

Narrative:
DH Mosquito T.III VA876/RAO-P, 608 (County of North Riding) Squadron RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) when both engines cut and aircraft bellylanded near the A1044 Low Lane, on the Yarm to Acklam Road, Yarm, North Yorkshire 16 September 1948

This aircraft must have been left over at RAF Thornaby and was possibly on its way out to an OTU around the date of the incident at Yarm, possibly even on the flight in which the accident occurred. A likely unit where it was heading could have been to nearby 13 OTU at RAF Middleton St George.

On 16th September 1948 this aircraft suffered from the starboard engine failing just after take-off from RAF Thornaby airfield. The starboard engine failed due to serious problems with the valve tappets. The pilot, who was flying solo, incorrectly feathered the port engine, but before he could correct the error, and re-start the port engine, height was lost and he was left to make a forced belly-landing near the Yarm to Acklam road in a field. The aircraft was badly damaged: Cat.E2/FA.

Crew: 
F/O (153949) Eric Ralph WILLIAMS DFC (pilot) RAF- OK 

The pilot was possibly one Eric Ralph Williams RAF (153949) although the only reference located showing his name gives it as shown above. Eric Ralph Williams received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) 29th October 1943 rising to F/O (war subs) on 29th April 1944. On 29th October 1945 he was promoted to F/Lt (war subs). For his flying in the War and service with 88 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 20th July 1945. Although no date has been found he must have been placed on the reserve list in 1946 as he was recalled to the RAFVR active list on 18th February 1947 resuming the rank of F/Lt. This was made a substantive rank of F/Lt on 1st November 1947 with seniority of 12th June 1947. He was awarded a permanent commission of F/Lt on 8th December 1948. He retired from the RAF on 31st May 1958 as F/Lt.

Mosquito VA876 was built to contract ACFT/1576 by D.H. at Leavesden and was delivered to the RAF in July 1946. After acceptance it was issued to 608 Squadron at Thornaby on an unknown date. According to the records 608 Squadron ceased operating Mosquito's in August 1948 and converted to fly Spitfires the same month. This aircraft must have been left over at Thornaby and was possibly on its way out to an OTU around the date of the incident at Yarm possibly even on the flight in which the accident occurred. A likely unit where it was heading could have been to nearby 13 OTU at Middleton St George. It sustained Cat.E2/FA damage in the incident near Yarm detailed above.

1. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH98%20prodn%20list.txt
2. ORB 608 Sqdn RAF: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2513:
3. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505151
4. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VA
6. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/yorksother/va876.html
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._608_Squadron_RAF#Post-war_reformation:_Mosquitos,_Spitfires_and_Vampires
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Thornaby#Post_war

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
31-Jan-2010 12:13	NePa	Added
18-Jan-2012 07:19	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Narrative, ]
18-Jan-2012 07:20	Nepa	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
18-Jan-2012 09:34	Nepa	Updated [Operator, ]
17-Sep-2014 11:32	Quentin	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Narrative, ]
05-Jan-2015 21:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
05-Jan-2015 21:47	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Narrative, ]
23-Feb-2015 18:15	Anthony COX	Updated [Location, Destination airport, Narrative, ]
26-Jul-2015 12:23	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Departure airport, ]
22-Feb-2016 08:36	AlLah	Updated [Operator, ]
13-Nov-2019 20:04	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
18-Nov-2019 15:48	Nepa	Updated [Nature, Narrative, Operator, ]
14-Jul-2021 19:48	TB	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Narrative, Operator, ]
02-Feb-2022 22:06	Nepa	Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator, ]
15-Aug-2023 21:32	Nepa	Updated