Wapiti J9746 Prang Photo (India)

[Jagan]

I was trying to research the accident for this Wapiti J9746

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aviationhistory/9460129939/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/9460129939_ae20fd2820_z.jpg

Air Britain mentions that this Wapiti was with No.27 Squadron and it pranged ("touched down hard and ballooned") at Risalpur in September 1940. (By which time No.27 Squadron would have handed over its aircraft to No.1 Flying Training School (India) at Risalpur.

So a few questions.
1. Would the above photo be the same incident?
2. Safe to assume that by September 1940, this aircraft was with No.1 SFTS? Who were the crew?
3. Does the paint scheme looks pre -1937 or so? Could this be a of an incident prior to 1939 and not the September 1940 crash?

I have the ORBs for both No.27 Squadron and the No.1 FTS Risalpur

27 Squadron ORB ends in June 1940. Next five months or so is missing. but it makes it clear that it handed over aircraft to the FTS
No.1 FTS Risalpur ORB is missing the pages between June 1940 to middle of October 1940 . (it was known as FTS Risalpur and then No.1 FTS from Nov onwards)

[COL BRUGGY]

Jagan,

Definitely a No.27 Squadron machine, as indicated by the red fuselage band just ahead of the tailplane (J9746 was also used by No.31 Sqn at some stage). The photo must have been taken sometime prior to 1934, as No.27 (and a few other units), dispensed with rudder stripes in that year.

Ref:
By Day and by Night: Wapiti and Wallace.
Thetford,Owen.
Aeroplane Monthly. September, 1994. (Vol.22. No.9). No.257
pp.16-22

Col.

[Ross_McNeill]

Hi Jagan,

The accident card is annotated No.27 Sqn and dated 23 Sept 1940 at Risalpur.

Pilot - Acting Sgt B M Rossmagenty 771899.

Reading the description it seems like a heavy landing but not resulting in a nose over so possibly not the accident in the photo and would bear out Col's info that the red stripe was removed circa 1934.

Regards
Ross

[COL BRUGGY]

Hi Ross,

Re: A/Sgt B M Rossmagenty.

13-11-1943
No.155 Squadron
Mohawk IV AR677 'V'

Bomb fell off on take-off and exploded, Tulihal.

118684 F/L Bruce Michael ROSS-MAGENTY RAFVR +

Buried Imphal War Cemetery, India.

Col.

[Jagan]

Thanks Ross and Col.. much appreciated - both disappointed and at the same time relieved that it wasn't an Indian pilot.. Guess 27 Sqn was operating Wops even as late as Sept 40 after all...