Date:	Monday 28 April 1913
Time:	day
Type:	Cody V biplane
Owner/operator:	4 Sqn RFC
Registration:	301
MSN:	1
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	Farnborough, Hampshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RFC Farnborough, Hampshire
Destination airport:	RFC Farnborough, Hampshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
The War Office purchased the prototype Cody V, together with a second aircraft to be built to the same design. In October 1912, Cody re-engined the biplane with a British-built 100-hp (75 kW) Green engine in order to enter the British Empire Michelin Cup competitions, winning the £600 prize for the fastest time over a 186-mile (299 km) circuit.

After re-fitting with the Austro-Daimler engine it was delivered to the Royal Flying Corps on 30 November 1912, being issued to No. 4 Squadron in December that year. The second Cody V flew in January 1913, and was delivered in February.

On 28 April 1913, the first prototype broke up in mid-air while gliding at 500 feet, and the aircraft crashed, killing the pilot, Lt Lancelot Charles Rogers-Harrison (aged 23). The aircraft had been poorly maintained and consisted of parts of older machines.

The resulting investigation discovered that the aircraft's structure, which incorporated many parts from the 1911 Circuit of Britain aircraft, had deteriorated badly and was in "precarious" condition by the time of the crash. The second aircraft, which was awaiting repair of damage that had been received in an accident in March, was never flown again, and in November that year it was given to the Science Museum, London, where it is displayed to this day.

1. Bruce, J.M. The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing). London:Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30084-X.
2. Jarrett, Philip. "Cody and His Aeroplanes: Samuel Franklin Cody:His Life and Times". Air Enthusiast, No. 82, July/August 1999. pp. 6–17. Stamford, UK: Key Publishing. ISSN 0143-5450.
3. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1916.htm
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cody_V_biplane#Operational_history
5. http://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/hancrash.html
6. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Lancelot_Charles_Rogers-Harrison
7. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=20698.0

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Nov-2018 21:32	Dr.John Smith	Added
17-Nov-2018 21:32	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Cn]
19-Nov-2018 19:16	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]
04-Dec-2022 19:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]