Bleriot XI-2 3947 at Redcar.

On 21st November 1916 this aircraft crashed at Redcar damaging its fuselage.

Pilot - Flight Sub-Lt Norman Black RNAS. Of Reading, Berkshire.

If the sourced information is correct then this was the pilot's second crash of the day and Redcar's fourth of the day.

Norman Black was born on 21st October 1897 in Reading, Berkshire and joined the RNAS on 28th June 1916. He was posted to Redcar on 26th August 1916, gaining his Aviator's Certificate (cert no.3872) on 28th November 1916 at Redcar (the day after this accident detailed above), he was posted to Cranwell on 25th November 1916 and went oversea in March 1917. He was posted to 12 Squadron briefly in September 1918 but arrived at 9 Naval Squadron on 13th September 1917. He sadly died of injuries sustained on 11th October 1917 while on an offensive patrol the previous day in Sopwith Camel N6358. He is buried in Larch Wood (Railway Cutting) Cemetery, Zillebeke.

Bleriot 3947 was built by Bleriot of Paris and supplied to the RFC as either 2852 or 2853. It arrived at the Central Supply Depot on 21st January 1916 where it stayed until being issued to RNAS Home Defence Flight, Scarborough on 16th May 1916. It was later transferred to Redcar's HD Flt on 28th July 1916 before suffering this mishap in November 1916 after tranfer to the Flying School also at Redcar. It must have been considered for repair but was later assessedr and deleted as deemed beyond economic repair on 4th May 1917.