Allied Airspeed Oxford NM247

On July 19, 1945, Test Pilot Everett Leach struggled unsuccessfully to maintain control of his aircraft while flying above Havenstreet. It was eventually determined that the port auxiliary fuel tank had been the source of the components breaking off and the flaming debris falling to the ground that eyewitnesses described witnessing. When Leach lost this, it caused the aeroplane to become unstable, and it was this instability that he had to fight to manage. After leaving Boscombe at 11:30 o’clock in the morning, he flew to Oxford with the intention of conducting stability tests on it as well as general airworthiness checks.

A neighbouring farmer saw Leach struggling with the controls and frantically attempting to avoid crashing onto Havenstreet rather than diving out of the plane. The plane eventually went down in the south-east corner of Rowlands Wood in Havenstreet, where it immediately caught fire after the impact. Unfortunately, Leach passed away as a result of the crash. In recent years, a plaque commemorating his accomplishments was errected.

Note: All images are merely representative of the aircraft and not specific

• http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/airspeed_oxford.php

• All images are of similar aircraft and not the specific plane in question.
• Wight Air Wrecks – A T Gilliam ISBN 0-7524-2376-2
• Battle in the Skies – H J Leal (IWCP)