On 22nd July 1916 this RNAS Flying School aeroplane was being flown in the Northallerton area when thick mist forced the pilot to make a forced landing. The aeroplane was undamaged and later when the fog cleared the pilot attempted take-off but crashed and overturned. The pilot was an instructor with the RNAS Flying School at the time. The wreckage must have been transported to RNAS Redcar and kept with the aim of repairing it, but it may never have been repaired.
Pilot - F/Lt Norman William George Blackburn RNAS.
Norman Blackburn was aeroplane manufacturer Robert Blackburn's brother. He was born on 25th May 1895 in Leeds, Yorkshire. He enlisted for RNAS service on 17th May 1915 and following training at the Grahame-White School of Flying at Hendon, London he was awarded a Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate on 5th June 1915 (Cert.No.1311). He later received a posting to RNAS Killingholme on 20th October 1915, then served at RNAS Redcar from 15th February 1916 to 26th March 1916, after attending a course at Eastchurch he returned to RNAS Redcar on 9th April 1916 as an instructor with the Flying School. He appears to have been uninjured on 22nd July 1916 when Curtiss JN-4 3443 crashed near Northallerton. On 28th September 1916 he was injured when Caudron G.III 3280 crashed near Redcar and this saw him hospitalised for a time. He was eventually passed as fit on 6th December 1916 and returned to duty at Redcar. On 29th May 1917 he was admitted to hospital in Middlesbrough suffering with scarlet fever. He was passed fit on 10th October 1917 and again returned to Redcar but was posted to Stonehedge on 21st January 1918. He married on 9th December 1917 at Roundhay Congregational Church, Leeds. He transferred to the newly formed RAF in April 1918 spending time between No.13 T.D.S. and hospitals until being transferred to the Unemployed List on 5th February 1919. He returned to Yorkshire and begun working for his brother Robert Blackburn's aeroplane company. He managed the RAF Reserve training school at Brough between 1924 and 1940. In 1940 Robert Blackburn asked him to take charge of the Swordfish production at the Sherburn-in-Elmet factory but later he returned to Brough in 1943 and was in charge of all Blackburn factories in Yorkshire from 1944. In retirement he lived in Bridlington and he died in January 1966.
Curtiss JN-4 3443 was built by Curtiss in Toronto, Canada and was delevered to AAP Hendon on 29th April 1916. Once erected, tested and accepted it was transferred to RNAS Redcar on 10th May 1916 where it joined the Flying School. It must have been transported back to RNAS Redcar as it was inspected there much later and deleted from stock on 25th June 1917.