In the small hamlet of Drayton , Oxfordshire on Sutton Wick Lane a wooden memorial plaque sits on a quiet green it is the only reminder of the sad events of the 5th March 1957.
Blackburn Beverley C Mk 1 XH117 53 SQN lifted off from RAF Abingdon on a flight to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. On-board was a flight crew, a relief crew and 8 RAF police dog handlers and their dogs, 17 passengers and 5 crew in total.
Just as the plane left the ground engine No1 Port engine stopped, the crew feathered the prop and set about returning to Abingdon. Turning back the crew noticed No2 Port was losing fuel at an alarming rate and unable to keep the Beverley flying the pilot looked for any area to put the falling plane down. The pilot selected a field beyond Drayton but the heavy transport plane had no room or time left, hitting HT power lines the plane broke up impacting the ground but also a caravan and a prefab cottage, flipping over the Beverley then hit houses on the lane. In the prefab, Muriel Binnington and in a house on the lane, Southern Electric engineer J Maltravers were sadly killed, on the Beverly only 2 crew 2 passengers and one of the dogs survived the crash.
2 RAF Officers were highly commended for their help in rescuing survivors but also locals who though not officially recognised risked much in helping amongst the burning wreckage.
In the official inquiry a fuel non return valve was found to have been fitted backwards this starved the engines. The technician was reprimanded but the crash led to changes, no longer would fuel valves be made with the same thread on both sides.
On Saturday the 5th March 2016 a small service was held to dedicate the memorial also in attendance were service dogs of the RAFPA (Royal Air Force Police Association
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