Hampden L4184 at Finningley airfield.

On 13th October 1940 the pilot of this aircraft was taking off for a cross country training flight when the aircraft swung out of control and the undercarriage collapsed at 19.25hrs. The aircraft was written off as damage was deemed to bad for repair. The crew were not injured.

Pilot - Sgt R Grainger RAF. Uninjured.


The pilot was almost certainly Sgt Robert Little Grainger RAFVR (758212), who came from Edinburgh. If so then he was later posted to 50 Squadron and on 13th March 1941 he was the pilot of Hampden X3146 which failed to return from Ops to Hamburg. No trace of his then crew nor the aircraft was ever found and Sgt Grainger is listed on the Runnymede Memorial. He was twenty years old.
Hampden L4184 was built to contract 549267/36 by Handley Page Ltd, at Radlett and was awaiting collection in May 1940, it was later taken on charge by 106 Squadron at Finningley but the precise for this is not known. It sustained Cat.W/FA damage in the incident at Finningley as stated above and was written off.