Peak District Air Accident Research

de Havilland DH-60M Moth K1112 of No.17 Elementary Flying Training School crashed near to Buxton on the 18th July 1938.

The aircraft shown above is a DH-60X Cirrus Moth, K1112 was a DH-60M Gipsy Moth.

The pilot of the aircraft, a member of the RAF Volunteer Reserve, was on a cross country exercise from Barton aerodrome via Brough in East Yorkshire and Tollerton in Nottinghamshire. On the return leg to Barton he over-flew Buxton and began performing aerobatics at low altitude when the engine failed. He had insufficient altitude to try and re-start the engine and was forced into landing in a small field across wind. While landing the Moth stalled and one wing tip hit the ground causing the aircraft to slew round onto its nose damaging the forward section, also the upper wing collapsed onto the fuselage.

As the aerobatics were not authorised and were carried out below the minimum briefed altitude for the flight Sergeant Roughley, of Walley Range in Manchester, was discharged from the RAFVR. It may well be that he went on to serve with the Army during the second world war as a Dennis Walden Roughley, Driver, Royal Army Service Corps, who died on Christmas Eve 1943 is buried in Manchester Southern Cemetery.

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