Date:	Monday 7 January 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Vickers Type 460 Warwick C Mk III
Owner/operator:	304 (Ziemia Slaska) Sqn RAF
Registration:	HG233
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	RAF Chedburgh, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:	RAF Chedburgh, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk

Narrative:
Vickers Type 460 Warwick C. Mk. III HG233, 304 (Polish) (Dywizjon Bombowy "Ziemi Śląskiej im. Ks. Józefa Poniatowskiego") Squadron, RAF. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 7 January 1946 when crashed on approach to RAF Chedburgh, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk

Soon after the end of the war in Europe, on 14 June 1945, 304 (Polish) Squadron was transferred to Transport Command, and operated scheduled services with Warwick C.III aircraft to Greece and Italy. From April 1946 onwards the Polish squadrons were restricted to flights within the UK. In May the Squadron converted to Halifax Mk C.8 unarmed transports and was disbanded a few months later on 18 December 1946.

On 7 January 1946, the starboard engine magneto contact breakers on Warwick HG233 became unserviceable, and the pilot feathered the starboard engine because it was misfiring. The pilot then set the aircraft up for an asymmetric (single engine) approach, but misjudged his approach, and made a forced landing to RAF Chedburgh, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. He approached 'too high', and the Warwick overshot the runway at RAF Chedburgh, coming down in a field beyond the airfield boundary. No reported casualties or injuries.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.27 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.28
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft HA100-HZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 304 (Polish) Squadron RAF ORB (Operations Record Book) for the period 1/1/1944 to 18/12/1946: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1670 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2504312
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.94: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._304_Polish_Bomber_Squadron#Transport_Command
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_Warwick#Warwick_Mark_III
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Chedburgh#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-May-2021 20:33	Dr. John Smith	Added
31-May-2021 08:40	MiG21	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]