On 14th August 1941 the pilot of this 2 (C)O.T.U. aircraft was tasked with undertaking a training flight to include landings, steep turns and single engine flying. He was also undertaking an experiment in trialing flying with the bomb rails removed from the wings. At 14.15hrs the port engine broke away from the airframe and the pilot lost control, the aircraft crashed in the region of one mile north east of Gransmoor, not far from Catfoss airfield. The Beaufighter type was grounded folowing this incident pending structural examination of other aircraft.
Pilot - Sgt Douglas Vaughan Jenkins RAAF (400474), aged 25, of Mildura, Victoria, Australia. Buried Brandesburton Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Douglas Jenkins was born in Mansfield, Victoria on 21st August 1915 and enlisted in Melbourne on 14th September 1940. The photograph of Sgt Jenkins shown above was found on "cas.awm.gov.au".
Beaufighter T4652 was built to contract B.4190/39 by the Fairey Aviation co. Ltd. at Heaton Chapel and was awaiting collection in March 1941. After a period of MU storage was it was taken on charge by 2 (C)OTU in June 1941 at Catfoss when the unit took it's first delivery of Beaufighters. As a result of the incident detailed above on 14th August 1941 Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded on the paperwork.