On 22nd February 1936 this aircraft had just taken off from Thornaby airfield when it stalled and crashed back onto the ground on the airfield. The aircraft ran into soft ground, overturned and was badly damaged. Wapiti K1154 was built to contract 933774/29 by Westland at Yeovil and was delivered to H.A.D. on 27th May 1930 where it remained in storage until being transferred to 608 Squadron on 6th June 1931. Cat.W/FA damage was recorded following the incident above and it was finally struck off charge on 11th August 1936 with a total of 444.45 flying hours.
Pilot - F/O Keith Pyman RAF AAF (90299). Of Whitby, Yorkshire.
Keith Pyman was born on 13th April 1907 in London but later moved to Dunsley, Whitby, Yorkshire to live a Dunsley Hall, a large house built as a result of an earlier prosperous family shipping buisness. He was awarded a Royal Aero Club aviators' certificate (cert.no9579) at the De Havilland School of Flying on 28th October 1930. He received his commission in the RAF to the rank of P/O on 27th March 1931 and later received promotions to F/O on 27th September 1932 and F/Lt on 1st December 1936. He was the pilot of Demon K3771 that crashed at Yarm on 5th February 1938 while low flying in the region of the pilot's then home. As F/Lt he relinquished his commission on 2nd March 1940 due to being medically unfit for service. The assumption that this was the result of being injured in a flying accident, possibly the Yarm incident two years previously.
Keith Pyman was also a civilian pilot in the late 1920's and early 1930's; on 23rd October 1930 DH60 Gipsy Moth G-ABFT was registered to him and the certificate of airworthiness was issued a week later. The aircraft was used at Dunsley aerodrome near Whitby, North Yorkshire probably because his parents lived at Dunsley Hall. He kept the aircraft until 31st July 1939 when it was registered to the Hartlepool and Teesside Flying Club based at West Hartlepool. A John Proud Pyman also from Whitby held a RAeC Certificate (Cert.No.16257) and is probably related.