Sadly in terms of visible footprints in the sands of time a death event creates far more lingering traces than a life.
All RAF aircraft incidents created a paperwork trail.
To easily keep tabs on the contents of a growing file on an accident, not attributable to enemy action, the RAF Records staff created an index card RAF Form F1180 Accident Card. This still exists even if the associated files have been dispersed/destroyed and is kept by RAF Museum at Hendon.
The F1180s are open to arranged visit to view but because of my research requirements for my book I have copies of the microfilms and can shortcut the time for a visit.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wu5xcooxpq94uywjumdld/06100171.JPG?rlkey=btuhy0co0vk6br675fcci0yfb&st=gllrzgc4&dl=0https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/p5tk1fqfrp5pv54kv8c3i/06100172.JPG?rlkey=n4lalnmu7x15o34uaz4x5zklw&st=gcodbndz&dl=0I'll explain the detail it contains if you want but for the moment it gives the summary of events and any investigation stages carried out.
All accidents were examined to see if a trend on equipment or training failure was developing, in this case as the reason was not clear an Air Investigation Branch (AiB) investigation was requested. This was an extension of the prewar Civil Aircraft Crash Investigation and the precursor to todays Air Accident Investigation.
Full files generated by this group do not survive, but the personal archive copy of carbon paper flimsies of Vernon Brown have been saved. These are archived at the TNA under Avia series and it includes the report for Bristol Blenheim AZ876
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6577800That covers the machine but the RAF Casualty File raised to document the deceased crew should also survive in the archive however it does not show using TNA Discovery so either yet to be transferred/catalogued. Worth asking TNA to do a search of AIR81 documents pending entry onto Discovery using the details from F1180.
Ross
