Hampden AD798 - 1407 Met Flight

[Lyffe]

Hampden AD798 was allocated to 1407 Met Flight at Reykjavik during, I believe, in the spring of 1943. Peter Ratcliff, in Even the Birds Were Walking, describes an incident when, during an air test, the aircraft developed an apparently uncontrollable 'stabilised yaw'. Although the pilot, F/O Park, ordered the three passengers to bale out he stayed with the aircraft and, after managing to regain some control, landed safely. Two of the passengers were not aircrew, but simply gaining air experience.

1407 Met Flight only used Hampdens between May and July 1943 and, according to Rackliff, AD798 never flew again. I'd like to determine the date of the incident and wonder if anyone could help.

Brian

[Ross_McNeill]

Brian,

5 June 1943

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8a6l4kfgxp...0Copy.JPG?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b2l8w7tw8j...0Copy.JPG?dl=0

Ross

[Lyffe]

That was very quick, thank you Ross.

For the record those who baled out were

P/O Johnson - who I think was the second member of the crew
F/O Frank Ludlam - a newly arrived met forecaster hoping to gain air experience
LAC Dixon - also gaining air experience.

The two officers were almost unscathed but Dixon suffered a broken leg on landing. Ludlam's version of events suggests he was rather fortunate as, in some panic, he hooked his chest-pack on but accidentally caught the rip-cord handle on a projection and the canopy billowed open in the aircraft. His story ended briefly and laconically: 'I gathered all the silk in my arms and fell out!' (Rackliff: Even the Birds Were Walking)

Brian