On 26th December 1916 this RNAS Flying School aeroplane was damaged at Redcar aerodrome when it's undercarriage collapsed on landing.
Pilot - Probationary F/O Harold Francis Stackard RNAS.
Harold Stackard was born in Norwich on 2nd March 1895. He entered the RNAS on 10th September 1916 by which time he had had already served in the Navy serving in Antwerp and Gallipoli with the Royal Naval Division before beginning his flying. After training he later joined 9 Naval Squadron, RNAS and was given credit for shooting down fifteen aircraft. He was injured on 8th June 1917 when his aeroplane was damaged by an enemy aeroplane which shot away his right hand rudder causing his aeroplane to spin into the ground. He sustained injuries to his face, shoulder and knee that saw him in hospital for some time. By January 1918 he was deemed fit to fly on a Home Station only. He transferred to the newly created RAF in April 1918 and was posted to serve as an instructor at Cranwell. He was eventually discahrged from the RAF in October 1919.
Scout N5405 was built by Bristol at Filton and as delivered by rail to RNAS Redcar on 16th November 1916 where it served with the Flying School. It was erected, tested and accepted only to suffer this accident on 26th December 1916. It must have been repaired on site at Redcar. Later it was transferred to RNAS Cranwell on 3rd June 1917 and arrived on 7th June 1917. It suffered two minor accidents at Cranwell on 21st August 1917 and on 19th December 1917. Repairs on site were carried out each time and it later served with 201 / 2 TDS at Cranwell who destroyed it on 4th April 1918 in a more serious accident.
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