Hurricane KX411 at Sherburn in Elmet airfield.
On 17th January 1943 this aircraft was one of several that were flown together on a ferry flight from the manufacturer at Langley with the end destination being Silloth airfield and to join No.22 M.U..
The aircraft had landed at White Waltham and were due to fly a leg between there and Sherburn in Elmet airfield on this date to refuel. The condition of Sherburn in Elmet airfield was poor around this date. The grass
areas of the airfield were very wet with some areas being waterlogged. Ground staff at Sherburn telephones White Waltham but a message intended to notify the pilots of the conditions failed to be given to them
prior to them taking off from White Waltham. Hurricane KX411 was flown by an A.T.A. pilot from No.1 Ferry Pilot Pool. When the flight arrived at Sherburn in Elmet an airfield controller guided some aircraft to
land on the runway and some to land on the grass. Hurricane HX411 was directed to land on the grass but on landing at 12.10hrs the pilot failed to see an area of deep water standing in an area of the grass part
of the airfield. The aircraft ran into the water, it overturned in the water which was around knee deep in depth and sadly the pilot was trapped in the cockpit. It took four minutes for accident personnel to
arrive at the upturned aircraft and a further six minutes before the pilot was extracted but he had drowned during this time.
Hurricane KX411 was built to contract 62305/39/C/Va by Hawker Aircraft Ltd and following assembly and testing at Langley was awaiting collection in December 1942. On the day of this accident on
17th January 1943 it was in the process of being flown from Langley to 22 M.U at Silloth. The aircraft received Cat.E/FA damage as a result of this accident at Sherburn but the tail unit, airscrew and
fuselage were initially assessed as being only Cat.B damage. Repair to flying state muct have been considered as it was not converted into a ground instructional airframe 4620M until September 1943.
Pilot - First Officer Alan Rees Colman ATA (M.761), aged 42. Cremated Lawns Wood, Leeds, Yorkshire.
He also may have owned Slingsby Gull I BGA.378 which survived the war, ending up with the Derby and Lancashire Gliding Club immediately postwar.
Alan Rees Colman was born on 3rd January 1901 in Norwich and was the son of Russell James Colman (H.M.Lieutenant for Norfolk) and Edith Margaret Colman, of Crown Point Hall, Norwich, Norfolk. His mother was a direct descendant of King Charles II. His father Russell Colman owned the famous Colman mustard factory where Alan Colman became a director in 1922. He married the Hon. Victoria Helen Loder on 17th December 1928 and he had previously served in the Norfolk Yeomanry and being granted the rank of Major. He bought Thickthorn Hall around 1930 and at that time was a magistrate in Norwich. He learnt to fly at the Norwich and Norfolk Aero Club, gaining his Royal Aero Club Certificate (Cert.No.10861) on 10th October 1932 and listed his occupation at that time as being a director of the Pathe company. He flew regularly as a member of the Norwich and Norfolk Aero Club from around 1933 to 1939 and in 1937 he bought the club a Slingsby Kestrel glider. The following year was president of the gliding section to the Aero Club and flew both powered aircraft and sailplanes. When the ATA came into being he offered his services. His name is commemorated on the Hethersett War Memorial, near Thickhorn Hall. His name is listed on part of the National Archives as being a member of the Special Operations Executive but no details of this part of his service are yet known.