Aircraft Crash, Widdrington, 31/03/84
 

Does anyone remember a light aircraft being damaged beyond repair in a crash or forced-landing at/near Widdrington in March 1984?

The aircraft involved was MS.880 Rallye Club G-ARXY, owned at the time by Mr Leslie Kennedy, who lived in Ovingham and was the owner of Drone Hill Caravan Park at Coldingham, near Eyemouth. He had only flown the aircraft for about four months, having acquired it from a Durham owner (who may have flown it from Usworth).

A photo of the aircraft in 1965 can be found here:

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1329503/

I remember seeing an aircraft very similar to this in a field just up from the Widdrington Inn pub , on the way to Druridge Bay . It was virtually oposite the Farm/Coffee Shop in the field but from what I can remember it didn't look damaged.It was in about 1984.

That would have been the aircraft in question - from another source I have learned that it was operated from a strip at Widdrington (the owner apparently lived there or nearby at the time). He used it to fly up to the caravan site at Coldingham, the last recorded visit there being on 5th January 1984. Rickt, you would have probably seen it parked out in the open before it's crash, presumably the strip was in the field next to where the farm shop is now.

Someone else was flying the aircraft that day (I have the name of the pilot) - he had three children onboard at the time. The Rallye suffered brake failure on landing at the strip - it would have just been part of the field that was mowed more regularly - and suffered enough damage to make it uneconomic to repair.

X-Ray Yankee ran through a gate and hit a wall, reportedly tearing both wings off in the impact, according to my source.