On 15th August 1942 an Oxford of 15(P)AFU based at Acaster Malbis was forced to land on high ground in bad weather. It is thought that this loctation was near to Steeple Cross, near Boltby Bank. The crew were unhurt and the aircraft was recovered and repaired. No Form Am1180 is available for this incident from the RAF Museum and hence the crew details and the reasons for the flight and the crash are unknown. Although Acaster Malbis was where the aircraft took off from in official sources, Leconfield was it's registered base and the airfield at Acaster, south of York, was a relief landing ground.

Oxford R6155 was built to contract B20356/39 by Airspeed at Portsmouth and delivered directly to 15 SFTS at Kidlington on 14th March 1941. The unit moved to Leconfield in February 1942 and became 15(P)AFU on 1st March 1942. It was written off in the incident detailed above with Cat.E2/FA damage on 15th August 1942. The date of 5th August 1942 is quoted incorrectly in some places as being the date of the crash.

Pilot - Name unknown, uninjured.

Crew - Name Unknown, one sustained injuries.

If the military map reference I have for this incident is correct and then converted to the modern system it then puts the crash as being in what is now this forest and somewhere in the photo above. I didn't find any sign of the aircraft. The forest was planted in the years after the War.