RAF Non-operational loss 21 March 1944

[Arjay1949]

Unfortunately, it does look as if the BBC simply made a request for 'further documentation' on the crash of JP137, rather than a specific FOI request for form 765 and /or 1669.
The AHB responded to the BBC request that there was 'no additional documentation available'.
A further disappointment came from the Bournemouth Coroners Office, saying that the appropriate civilian inquest papers could not be traced either, admitting to 'gaps' in the inquest records from around that time.

Now whether these comments are true, or merely official 'stonewalling' to avoid any hard work, when it's clearly only 'amateur' historians making the requests, I wouldn't know?.....

What is slightly more encouraging is the response to the local paper piece, asking for witnesses to an engine fire, seen before the aircraft crash.

We now have 6 independent reports (2 x 'first hand' and 4 x 'secondhand' ones) of an engine fire before the aircraft crash. Most from those who had heard the approaching aircraft, clearly in distress, and looking out to see what was happening....

So, we have an aircraft in the air for only 3 minutes (according to the AM1180 card) ...a full fuel load ...reports of a wing 'dropping' some 2 minutes into the flight (again from the AM1180 card) .....a call to the Winton (local ) fire brigade, from the airfield, before the crash ..... 6 reports of an engine on fire..... the AM1180 reports of the rudder overspill problem (which the A &AEE 1943 reports that Mark refers to in post #25, indicate was a pretty serious fault).......

How can they still 'blame the pilot' ??? ......

I wonder if these new 'engine fire' reports are likely to help persuade the RAF to amend their records..... if they are true ( and I can see no reason why not?), surely there would have been nothing Sgt. Evans could have done to save that aircraft......