Whitley K9001 at Linton on Ouse airfield.
On 19th September 1939 "A" Flight of 51 Squadron were flying their aircraft from their base of Linton on Ouse to one of the dispersed sites they used at the time, the site being used is recorded as York Civil Aerodrome (which later became Clifton/Rawcliffe airfield and in modern days, the Clifton Moor retail park). Prior to taking off members of ground crew inspected and also tested the flying controls with one member of groundcrew, a flight rigger AC1 Frank Midgley RAF (614896) removing the control locks in the cockpit to test the physical movement of all flying controls. With the check complete the control locks were replaced. A ground engineer AC1 Norman West RAF (614484) sat in the captain's seat and also unlocked the controls, tested them and re-locked them again, he also started the engines, the second pilot Sgt Griffiths entered the cockpit and sat in the second pilot's seat while the engines were tested. Sgt Mullin then entered the aircraft and climbed into the captain's seat and the engineer then left. The pilots did not continue to warm the engines up but immediately and at 10.55hrs the aircraft taxied out and took off. As it took off it was seen to fly with the tail noticably down. It then began to climb very steeply until it stalled almost vertically at around 150 to 200 feet over the centre of Linton on Ouse airfield. The aircraft then dived into the ground, caught fire and sadly the two airmen on board were killed. An investigation found that the elevator locks had almost certainly not been removed from the controls prior to take off because there was not time for the pilot to have undertake pre-take off cockpit drills after the engineer left and it took off. While the controls were almost certainly locked on take off, when the wreckage was examined all the locking pins were found out of the controls and it was thought that the error was noticed and had been pulled out but too late to affect regaining control. Sgt Mullin was seated in the captain's seat and was responsible for removing the control locks.
Pilot - Sgt Bernard Mullin RAF (563337), aged 26, of Goodworth, Clatford. Buried Andover Cemetery, Hampshire.
Second Pilot - Sgt Frank Hugo Griffiths RAFVR (565535). No personal details known. Buried Newton on Ouse, Yorkshire.
Frank Griffiths' gravestone at Newton on Ouse, Yorkshire. He was born illegitimately. He was brought up by his mother's sister Mrs Worthington at Southsea and his mother (Mrs F A Baulf) had very little contact with him.
Whitley K9001 was built to contract 522438/36 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and was allotted to 97 Squadron at Leconfield on 25th January 1939. It was delivered to Leconfield
on 13th February 1939 and then transferred to 51 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 4th August 1939. Following the accident detailed above Cat.W/FA Burnt damage was recorded and the aircraft struck off charge on 24th October 1939. It had flown just over 118 hours total flying time from new.