On Thursday, 25th January 1951 this 205 Advanced Flying School aircraft was being flown on a training flight when it dived into the ground at full power into a small field near the village school at Croft on Tees just after midday. The pilot was clearly killed in the crash and it was believed that he had initially passed out due to his oxygen supply not working. The aircraft was based at Middleton St.George but may have been using their relief landing ground of Neasham for this flight. It was remarkable that given where this crash occurred there were no civilian injuries. A small ammount of damage to civilian property occurred when a house had tiles removed. Two school children narrowly escaped with one being splattered in oil thrown up during the crash.
Pilot - F/O Arthur Adair McKernan RAF (3504720). Aged 24. Buried Dundonald Cemetery, Belfast.
Arthur McKernan was the youngest son of James and Isabella McKernan of Belfast. As a boy he attended the Malone Public Elementary School and then Belfast College of Technology. He joined the RAF in November 1948 and received a commission two years later. He was a memorial of the RAF Training Command's rugby team.
Historians Eric Barton, Albert Pritchard and Ken Reast located small fragments at the crash site in June 2000 with permission from the landowner to confirm the location.
