During the morning of Wednesday, 8th February 1951 the pilot of this No.23 Reserve Flying School aircraft was undertaking a training flight when either a snow storm blew in, or he flew too far in a snow storm. The unit was based at Usworth so by the time the aircraft was over the Stainmore area it would have been a significant distance away from his home airfield, or any other airfield. The pilot attempted a forced landing in the Knipe Hill area, between Brough and Teesdale. The impact broke the pilot's harness and flung him out into a snow drift which probably saved his life. Initially being unconscious he came around and despite having head and ankle injuries he attempted to make his way toward the main A66 road over Stainmore around a mile from where the aircraft crashed. He eventually collapsed but rather fortunately he was found by a farmer Mr Richard Rain, from Low Dowgill, who was rounding up sheep in the area. A rescue party was assembled and he was helped from the hills, to be taken to hospital. The pilot lived in the Brough area at the time of the incident where he ran the Castle Hotel. He may have been heading toward his home at the time of the incident.
Pilot - F/O William Swinburne Bateson RAFVR (153085). Injured.
William Bateson was born 19th July 1917 in Kirby in Furness. He received a commission in the RAFVR on 6th August 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation, he rose to F/O (war subs) on 6th February 1944 and rising to F/Lt on an unknown date but probably 18 months later as was the normal progression. As F/Lt he was awarded the King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air on 13th June 1946 for service with 52 Squadron, Transport Command. He qualified as a member of the Royal Aero Club (Cert.No.22932) on 25th June 1947. He served in the RAFVR until relinquishing his commission on 17th May 1959. At the time of the accident on Stainmore was living in the Brough area as proprietor of the Castle Hotel, Brough and must have been the RAF Reserve at the time. He also force landed a Miles Messenger after running out of fuel near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire on 12th March 1957 while flying a motor racing driver (also of Brough) from Blackpool to Silverstone motor racing circuit to test a car. Neither men were injured and the passenger, Cliff Allison, was dispatched to the nearest car petrol station to get some fuel. The aircraft was re-fuelled and took off and completed the flight. On 4th November 1960 he was involved in another mishap when, after taking off in Auster G-AMMZ from an airstrip on Brough showfield when he suffered engine failure. The aircraft struck a wire fence and then a hedge and overturned, one of his two passengers was trapped in the cockpit for a time before being released and taken to hospital.
William Bateson later moved to the Blackpool area and took a role as chief instructor with Air Navigation & Trading Co.Ltd which was later renamed Blackpool Air Services. He later became the proprietor and chief flying instructor of the Blackpool and Fylde Aero Club, based at Blackpool Airport. He was killed in a flying accident on 16th May 1970 while flying in Beagle Pup G-AXIB (which his club owned) which crashed on approach to land at Blackpool Airport with him and a pupil on board. They had been carrying out an evening dual control aerobatics training flight before the crash occurred in the undershoot area of the airfield. At the time of his death he had logged 7,459 hours flying as a pilot. He was fifty three years old.