This Day in History: 1944-01-06

Tragically, on 6 January 1944, the highly experienced Commanding Officer of No 14 Squadron, Wing Commander Charles Learmonth lost his life in the crash of DAP Beaufort A9-346 due to a known defect in the elevator trim tab. Experiencing barely-controllable elevator forces, Learmonth stayed with his aircraft to enable his wingman to confirm that the trim tab had come loose before his aircraft dived steeply into the sea. All on board were killed. The RAAF base and airport near Exmouth is named Learmonth in honour of his bravery. A simple fleet-wide modification fixed the elevator trim tab problem, the potential for which was known to Bristol in the UK but had not occurred on British-built Beauforts. Source: Aircraft of the RAAF.