Test Flying Memorial
"...and everywhere the
blue sky belongs to them
and is their appointed rest
and their native country"
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
| Date | 12/04/1945 |
|---|---|
| Casualties | Flt Lt J.R. Smith, A&AEE P; Mr M.G. Douglas, Ministry of Aircraft Production Technical Officer |
| Aircraft | de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk 32 NS586 |
| Took off from | Boscombe Down, Wiltshire |
| Purpose of flight | Propeller acceptance tests four-bladed D.H. hydromatic props |
| Incident location | Weston Zoyland, Somerset |
| Incident details | Aircraft climbed to 35,000ft and carried out a series of dives at various speeds and altitudes. After 1hr 20min it was seen in a steep dive and, although a pull-out at 8,000ft was begun, aircraft went into a steep climb and its wings and tailplane detached |