On 18th August 1939 the pilot of this aircraft was undertaking his first solo on the Hampden and the aircraft took off from Thornaby. It dived into the ground from 300 feet soon afterwards at Maltby Lane End (or Raper's Farm as is quoted elsewhere). The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot, who was flying solo, was sadly killed. Rapers Farm is not shown on modern maps and could relate to the owner's surname rather than the farm name.

In Ian Pearce's book "Lost on Easby Moor, the last flight of Hudson NR-E", he quotes a number of letters of one of the crew of the Hudson, Norman Drury, killed on that night. One such letter makes mention to this Hampden crash and he stated.... "I saw a Hampden bomber crash about a quarter mile from the drome last Friday. The tanks blew up when it hit the ground and although it's an all-metal machine it was reduced to ashes in a very short while. There was only one chap in it."

Pilot - P/O Reginald R Harper RAF, aged 23, initially of The Argentine. Burial location not known.