The aircraft in question.

This 25 year old aircraft was owned by a syndicate of the Newcastle and Teesside Gliding Club's members. On the day in question when the unfortunate incident was to occur, the aircraft was being flown to the Club's Carlton Bank base from Sherburn in Elmet, near Selby. It had had a re-conditioned engine fitted at Sherburn and it was being delivered back to the site at Carlton Bank. When the aircraft arrived in the Ingleby Arncliffe area the aircrafts engine failed at 700 feet and the pilot was left with no option but to land the aircraft in a field. This was done with some skill between the A19 and A172 roads. Prior to touching down the aircraft had clipped a hedge which had taken out the aircraft's propeller and undercarriage. I have been fortunate to have been contacted by the pilot of this incident who tells that his touch down was quite smooth but he ran out of field before the aircraft came to a stop (Auster brakes being very poor and the aircraft being prone to tip over if braked heavily)...he penetrated the far hedge and unfortunately there was a couple of feet drop into the next field which damaged the undercarriage. The reason why the engine failed is not yet known. The pilot exited the aircraft and walked along a lane to the nearest house and whilst on route, met a couple of hikers rushing the other way who told him that an aircraft had crashed. The engine had been running erratically and emitting smoke during the descent which they had were presumed to have noticed and were coming to help should it be needed.

The aircraft was built by Auster Aircraft Ltd at Raceby and first registered on 25th November 1954 to George Henry Waugh and was based at Twyford, Hampshire. The regisatration was changed on 31st March 1955 to Eric Rylands and G.H. Waugh with the aircraft based both at Samlesbury and Twyford. It was purcahsed by Skyways Ltd of London and registered to them on 14th May 1957. The registration details were transferred to Skyways Coach & Air Ltd, London on 27th May 1959 and it remained with them until 23rd March 1965. The aircraft was purchased by Rodney Grenville Hill of Faversham and Duncan Graham Barber of Canterbury and registered to them on 8th April 1965 and remained with them until 14th August 1965. The registration was next taken up by John William Benson of Ardley, Bicester on 17th August 1965 and remained with him until 23rd November 1966. It was next registered to Jimmy Blumer (Yarm) Ltd on 6th December 1966 and remained with the company until 25th September 1968. Permen Engineering Co (Teesside) Ltd based at Stockton-on-Tees were next to register the aircraft on 28th October 1968 but only kept it until 1st January 1970. It's next owner was Emily Walker of Billingham who registered the aircraft on 27th Fenruary 1970 and kept it until 1st October 1973. It passed to Norman Revell trading as Newcastle & Teesside Gliding Club, based at Chester Le Street on 27th November 1973 and remained registered to the company until 17th March 1981. The next registered owner was Teesfare Holding Ltd based at Middlesbrough who took up the registration on 13th May 1981 and it was whilst in their ownership that it suffered it's accident on 12th September 1981. They remained the owners of the aircraft until the registration was cancelled on 23rd January 1984. It is not known whether the aircraft had been repaired during this period. The next registered owner was Lee Patrick Mullins trading as Applied Fasteners & Components at Meppershall, Bedfordshire, taking up the registration on 18th June 1984. It's final owner was Nayland Aiglet Group based at Braintree, Essex, taking up the registration on 20th April 1993. The registration was cancelled at PWFU (Permanently withddrawn from use) on 20th September 1993.

Pilot - Mr Albert Newbery, unhurt.