Airacobra AH602 near Acaster Malbis airfield.
Airacobra AH602 shown second on the line of Airacobra aircraft in 1941 (photograph found in Flight Magazine archives).
On 13th February 1942 the River Ouse, close to Acaster Malbis airfield, was in flood. The pilot of this 601 Squadron aircraft was undertaking an aerobatics training flight close to the airfield, after taking off the pilot climbed to between five and six thousand feet. During the flight the pilot attempted to make an upward roll but the aircraft only completed half the roll leaving the aircraft inverted. The aircraft then stalled and it fell tail-first in the spin all the way into the ground. It crashed on the side of the airfield next to the River Ouse, on the river bank near South Ings and the pilot was sadly killed in the incident at around 13.20hrs.
Pilot - P/O Angus John McDonnell RAFVR (101020), aged 19, of Elmer Sands, Bognor Regis, Sussex. Kirkby Wharfe Cemetery, Yorkshire.
The pilot's gravestone at Kirkby Wharfe. He received a commission on 10th June 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation.
Airacobra AH602 was built by the Bell Aircraft Corp. at Wheatfield, New York and was purchased without contract by the B.P.C. It arrived in the UK by ship in July 1941 and was transported by road to No.4 Assembly Unit at Colerne were it was assembled and tested before the aircraft was taken on charge by 601 Squadron at Duxford on around 16th August 1941
when the unit converted to the type. On 6th January 1942 the aircraft moved to Acaster Malbis with the squadron and as a result of the mishap there on 13th February 1943 Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded.