What happened
The incident involved an Avro 504 bearing the registration J8709, which had departed RAF Cranwell for a local training exercise. During the approach phase back to the airfield, the aircraft collided in mid-air with a second RAF Avro 504, registered as J9693. The pilot of the other aircraft managed to regain control and land safely without further incident. In contrast, the crew of J8709 lost control of their machine following the impact, causing it to crash onto the ground.
The accident resulted in one fatality and one injury among the personnel on board J8709. The source material identifies the deceased as a Flight Lieutenant and the injured party as a Flying Cadet, though specific names are omitted here in accordance with privacy guidelines regarding private individuals.