A55-2

 

Type: L-222-62-13 Lightning F-4-1-LO
MSN: 222-5377 *
Previous Identities: 41-2159 *

* IMPORTANT: See here for clarification of identities.

History:



41-2159
  
17JAN42 Received by USAAF. (Source: 4)
18APR42 Received Long Beach Fighter Command. (Source: 4)
25APR42 Received Lowry (8th PRS). (Source: 4)
25MAY42 Received Dallas. (Source: 4)
19JUN42 Received Lowry. (Source: 4)
23JUN42 Received Sacramento Air Depot. (Source: 4)
06JUL42 Received San Francisco (Port of Embarkation). (Source: 4)
15JUL42 Allotted SUMAC (Fifth Air Force SWPA) (Source: 4)
12AUG42 Received at CAC, Melbourne. (Source: 8)
25AUG42 Diverted to Australia. (Source: 4)
A55-2
  
04SEP42 Received at 1AD, Laverton, Vic. The Form E/E88 for A55-2 does not record any previous identity. (Source: 7)
03OCT42 Flt Lt Talberg, Flt Lt Sinnott and Flt Lt Lawrie received their twin endorsements in Oxford AS311 prior to converting to the Lightning. (Source: 2)
05OCT42 Solo flight by Flt Lt Talberg 30min. Flt Lt Talberg. (His first Lightning flight. Presumably ex Laverton.) (Source: 2)
06OCT42 Photography (no details) 1hr 45min Flt Lt Talberg. (Probably photographic training ex Laverton) (Source: 2)
16OCT42 Issued to 1PRU ex 1AD. (Source: 7)
26OCT42 R/T test 1hr. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
27OCT42 Aircraft test 30min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
28OCT42 Laverton-Mildura 2hr 20min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
30OCT42 Mildura-Alice Springs 4hr. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
30OCT42 Alice Springs-Batchelor 3hr 55min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
30OCT42 Batchelor-Hughes 20min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
02NOV42 Melville Island-Darwin-Hughes 2hr 10min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
03NOV42 Photo Recce Tanimbar Island 3hr 15min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
10-19NOV42 Between these dates, 1PRU recorded only 5 operational flights by Lightnings A55-1 and A55-2. (Source: 5)
19NOV42 Photo Recce Dilli and Atamboea 5hr. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2)
20NOV42 Crashed 2 miles west of Livingstone, N.T. The following report on the accident is drawn from NAA Series A9845 Item 7127491.

"On the morning of 20th November, 1942, Flight Lieutenant A.T. Cridland (424) was instructed by Squadron Leader L.W. Law (144) to carry out an engine test on aircraft A55-2. The test was to be at all heights up to 30,000 feet, R/T contact was to be maintained throughout the flight.

The aircraft took off at 1030/K hours. At approximately 1150 hours, No. 3944 Flight Sergeant R.W. Blanch saw the aircraft circling the aerodrome at approximately 5,000 feet with the starboard airscrew fully feathered. While across wind on the second circuit the flaps and undercarriage were lowered. Apparently the pilot misjudged the approach, because when only a few hundred feet up he put on engine and turned to the west of Hughes. At approximately 1210 hours, two miles west of Livingstone, the aircraft crashed and burnt, killing the pilot.

An examination of the aircraft by Squadron Leader L.W. Law revealed the following:-
(a) Both throttles were in full open position. (As the starboard engine was feathered it is obvious that the engine was switched off and throttle opening would not effect the engine.)
(b) Both airscrews were in fully fine position. (See note to (a).)
(c) Both coolant gill levers were in full open position.
(d) The flap lever was in the neutral position; the flaps being either up or down. The flaps themselves appear to have been in the up position at the time of the crash, but the undercarriage was down.
(e) The Turbo supercharger rotor on the starboard engine had completely disintegrated. No trace of any of the 142 buckets could be found. The starboard wing was scored where the rotor buckets had struck it in several places. As the rotor has a speed of 21,300 R.P.M. at altitude, the buckets on the circumference are travelling at approximately 700 feet per second.
(f) The aircraft crashed vertically into the ground.
(g) No major part of the airframe or engines is salvageable although some component parts of the engines may be salvaged.

The report concludes with details of the pilot and states that Flight Lieutenant Cridland was buried at the Berrimah Military Cemetry on 20th November 1942.

24NOV42 Received 1RSU. (Source: 7)
18DEC42 Converted to components by 1RSU. (Source: 7)
31OCT44 Condemned by Fifth Air Force, Brisbane. (Source: 4)
09JAN45 Struck off. (Source: 4)


SOURCES

1
 Log book of Flt Lt F.H.W. Robilliard via his son Iain Robilliard.
2
 Log Book of Flt Lt W.H.S. Talberg via David Vincent
3
 Log Book of Sqn Ldr R.M. Green via David Vincent
4
 USAAF History Card for 41-2158 accessed by Terry Geary.
5
 RAAF Unit History sheets (Form A50) [Operations Record Book - Forms A50 and A51] 1 PRU Number 87 Squadron Jun 42 - Oct 53. NAA: A9186, 118
6
 Operations Record Book No 51 Operational Base Unit, Groote Eylandt via Phil Vabre.
7
 RAAF Form E/E88 (Status Card)
8
 Listing compiled by a CAC employee, Bill Audsley, and published in Aviation Heritage the journal of the Aviation Historical Society of Australia (AHSA) Vol 22 No 4.
9
 Mosquito Monograph by David Vincent.
10
 Log Book of FLGOFF P.B. Jones, RAAF.
11
 The Eight Ballers by John Stanaway & Bob Rocker. Schiffer Publishing 1999
12
 Log Book of Sqn Ldr Geoff Atherton.


ABBREVIATIONS


1AD No 1 Aircraft Depot based at Laverton, Vic.
14ARD No 14 Aircraft Repair Depot based at Gorrie, N.T.
8CRD No 8 Central Recovery Depot based at Darwin, N.T.
1PRU No 1 Photo Reconnaissance Unit based at Hughes, N.T. and later Coomalie Creek N.T.
1RSU No 1 Repair and Salvage Unit based at Manbulloo, N.T.
4RSU No 4 Repair and Salvage Unit based at Pell, N.T.


Issue Date Remarks
8 08DEC24
Added an image of the crash site from the John Hopton Collection. Thanks to the CAHS.
7 01APR16
Refreshed the page layout with no change to data.
6 04JAN11
Added details from the log book of Flt Lt W.H.S. Talberg via David Vincent. Shown as (Source: 2)
5 22FEB04
Added movements before and after RAAF service from USAAF History Card supplied by Terry Geary.
4 17FEB04
Added a report on the crash drawn fron NAA Series A9845 Item 7127491.
3 04JAN04
Added date for diversion to Australia from USAAF History Card thanks to Terry Geary.
2 28SEP01
Changed MSN and USAAF serial to those shown in accordance with reasoning here



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