Date:	Monday 6 April 1953
Time:	day
Type:	North American AT-16 Harvard T.2B
Owner/operator:	RAF College Cranwell
Registration:	FS746
MSN:	14A-886
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Packington, south of Ashby-de-la-Zouche, Leicestershire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Cranwell, Sleaford, Lincolnshire (EGYD)
Destination airport:	RAF Cranwell, Sleaford, Lincolnshire (EGYD)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Noorduyn AT-16-ND ex-USAAF 43-12587 (MSN 14A-886) Delivered to RAF as Harvard IIb FS746. First recorded in service with No 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit, Ternhill, Shropshire, February 1945. To RAF College, Cranwell, Lincolnshire August 1952.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crash landed after running out of fuel at Packington, south of Ashby-de-la-Zouche, Leicestershire 6 April 1953. One of the two crew was killed

The aircraft took off from RAF College, Cranwell, Lincolnshire, on a cross-country navigation exercise with a crew of two. During the second part of the sortie, the aircraft ran short of fuel over Liecestershire, and an unsuccessful attempt was made by the Air Traffic Controllers to divert the aircraft to land at RAF Desford, Leicestershire.

The Harvard was next seen flying low over Packington, south of Ashby-de-la-Zouche, Leicestershire. The Harvard circled the area of Packington, and just before the crash, the aircraft was seen to be in a steeply banked turn. It then crashed into the corner of a meadow, in a near-vertical attiude, starboard wing low. As stated above, one of the two crew was killed, the other survived with severe injuries.

Crew of Harvard FS746:
Flight Cadet I A SAHIBZADA, Royal Pakistan Air Force (pilot, Service Number RPAF 90265, aged 21) - killed in service 26/4/1953, buried at Saint Andrew Churchyard, Cranwell, Lincolnshire
Flight Cadet Michael John ARMITAGE, RAF (Navigator) - survived with injuries

The surviving crew member rose through the ranks to become Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael John Armitage, KCB, CBE (born 25 August 1930). Educated at Newport Grammar School on the Isle of Wight, Armitage joined the Royal Air Force's Aircraft Apprentice Scheme at RAF Halton in 1947. He was appointed Officer Commanding No. 17 Squadron in 1967 and Station Commander at RAF Luqa in 1972.

He was then Director of Forward Policy in 1976, Deputy Commander of RAF Germany in 1978 and Senior RAF Representative on the Directing Staff at the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1980. He went on to be Director of Service Intelligence in 1982, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Intelligence) in 1983 and Chief of Defence Intelligence in 1984. Finally he became Air Member for Supply and Organisation in 1985, Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1988 before retiring in 1990 at the age of 60.

The reported crash location of Packington is a village and civil parish in the district of North West Leicestershire. It is situated close to the A42 road and the towns of Ashby de la Zouch and Measham.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.143 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 359
3. The Harvard File (John F Hamlin, Air Britain, 1988 p 90)
4. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packington
6. http://www.interment.net/data/eng/lincoln/st_andrew/index.htm
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Armitage_(RAF_officer)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
24-Jun-2018 17:26	A.J. Scholten	Updated [Registration, Cn]
21-Apr-2021 21:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
21-Apr-2021 21:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Cn, Source, Narrative]
21-Apr-2021 21:21	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
17-Aug-2021 15:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Category]