Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.

Wellington LN281 at East Moor airfield.

This aircraft took off from East Moor at 23.08hrs on the 24th June 1943 tasked with bombing Wuppertal. At 03.54hrs the Wellington was landing on return when a tyre burst. Both propellers, the starboard wing, engine and the bomb doors were damaged after the undercarriage gave way.

Pilot - P/O Keith McL Johnston RCAF (J/16067), of North vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Navigator - Sgt Howard W Clarke RCAF, of Talbot, Alberta, Canada.

Bomb Aimer - Sgt F W R Frost RAF (1320228).

Wireless Operator/Air Gunner - Sgt Joseph A M Lortie RCAF, of St Agathe des Monte, Quebec, Canada.

Rear Gunner - Lt J C Elliott USAAF.

Keith Johnston was born on 26th December 1917 in Vancouver. He was killed on 26th July 1943, he and the above listed airmen were in Wellington HE803 when it was shot down by a night-fighter, F/O Johnston force-landed the damaged aircraft but then tried to take off again, he clipped trees. The aircraft then crash killing him and his crew were taken PoW. F/O Johnston was twenty five years old and is buried in Bergen-op-Zoon Canadian Cemetery, Holland. He had married a Scotish girl, Elizabeth Robertson Smith, of Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland and was posted to 429 Squadron from 22 OTU on 23rd May 1943 (along with Clarke, Frost and Lortie).

Wellington LN281 was built to contract B124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd at Chester and delivered to MU store in October 1942. It was issued to 429 Squadron at East Moor in early June 1943 before suffering this Cat.B/FB mishap on 25th June 1943. The time for the landing has also been given as 05.54hrs. It was repaired in works and on completion of the repair it was issued to 14 OTU at Market Harborough in late-1943. It was lost with Cat.E2/FA damage recorded on 13th August 1944 when an engine cut and the aircrtaft stalled into the ground four miles north of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire killing seven and injuring one.