Mosquito HJ670 at Wombleton airfield.
On 9th October 1945 the two crew on board this aircraft were undertaking a daytime cross-country training flight
when the aircraft's starboard engine failed over the Ryedale area. The failed engine was feathered and at 10.30hrs
the pilot was making a single engined landing at Wombleton. The landing was probably made in a hurry and the
undercarriage was not properly deployed when the aircraft touched down. On touching down the undercarriage
collapsed and it skidded along the runway, the crew escaped injury but the aircraft suffered enough damage
to have it written off. An investigation found the engines big end bolts had sheared causing it to fail.
Pilot - P/O John P Thompson RAFVR (168160). Uninjured.
Navigator - Name unknown. Uninjured.
John Thompson had received his commission to P/O on probation (emergency)
on 29th March 1945. He presumably left the RAF in the post-War shake up that
came in 1946-47 as there is no record of him rising to F/O would one would
usually expect.