During the evening of Wednesday, 30th December 1959 this No.1 Flying Training School aircraft was flown on a training exercise. The pilot was a Royal Navy pilot undertaking flying training with the RAF. It took off from Linton on Ouse at 19.18hrs with the pilot first undertaking a high speed run followed by a controlled descent and was then due to fly three circuits and landings at Linton on Ouse airfield. The night was very dark and at Linton on Ouse there no visible horizon below 1000 feet which would have meant the pilot would have been using his flying instruments. The pilot undertook the high speed run and the descent then returned to Linton on Ouse to carry out the final part of the exercise. He made the two of the three approaches to land, touched down on the runway and then applied power, became airborne again and flew a circuit of the airfield each time. After doing the same for the third he touched down, applied power and climbed to 300 feet but then made a left hand diving turn. The aircraft continued to lose height until it struck a tree with the port wing and crashed a short distance later. The aircraft disintergrated across farmland between Widdington Farm and Nun Monkton and the pilot was killed. An investigation was carried out and it was found that the pilot had struggled with instrument flying earlier in his flying, he had also admitted to being disorientated during formation flying and also while flying solo. He had however passed a "White" instrument rating assessment. It was felt likely that he had lost control while flying on instruments in very dark flying conditions.
Pilot - Lt Myles Hastings Atkins RN, aged 22. Buried City of London Crematorium, London (Manor Park).
The above photographs were found on Facebook.