Botha W5128 near Sherburn in Elmet airfield (Hambleton / Gateforth area).
On 16th February 1942 this aircraft aircraft was to have been ferried from Sherburn in Elmet airfield to White Waltham airfield by an ATA pilot prior to issue to the RAF. It had been flown from the Brough factory to Sherburn by a Blackburn test pilot a couple of days earlier and was a new aircraft. After taking off from Sherburn at around 10.50hrs the aircraft flew a circuit of the airfield and then headed south, but soon after both engines failed. It was damaged in the forced landing four miles south east of Sherburn in Elmet airfield at around 11.00hrs. An investigation believed that blocked air vents on the fuel tanks had probably caused an air lock and as a result fuel starvation had been the cause of the engine failure.
Pilot - 1st Officer James Aloysius Stuart ATA.
James Stuart was born in Ireland. He was granted a short service commission in the RAF as Acting P/O on probation on 12th July 1937 and must have been graded as P/O on probation in the months that followed but I have not located the entry in the London Gazette. He was promoted to F/O on 18th December 1939 (39949) but relinquished his commission in the RAF on the grounds of ill health on 26th November 1940.
Botha W5128 was built by the Blackburn Aircraft Co. Ltd. at Brough and was to have been taken on charge by 19 MU on 14th February 1942, it was flown to Sherburn in Elmet by a Blackburn test pilot on 14th February 1942. Two days later following the forced landing near Sherburn it sustained damage. The damage was initially assessed as Cat.E but it was re-assessed by Blackburns on 25th February 1942 as Re-Cat.B. It was probably stripped and the parts removed back to Brough for rebuild. On 3rd July 1942 it went to 32 MU then on 31st December 1942 it went to 22 MU. The aircraft remained in store until being struck off charge on 15th March 1944.