Hampden L4175 near Finningley airfield.
On 24th October 1939 the pilot of this 106 Squadron aircraft undertook a night time solo circuits and landings training exercise. He took off from Finningley airfield at 20.40hrs and while making his first approach to land the aircraft struck a tree close to Finningley village. The aircraft then crashed in a wooden building on a farm and broke up. The pilot sustained serious injuries and was dragged clear of a devloping fire by soldiers on guard duties nearby who had witnessed the crash. The soldiers were part of B-Company, 9th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters and were on guard duty of the dispersed aircraft on the airfield boundary at the time. The two men, Pte A Askew (4976387) and Pte L Williams (4975757), were recommended by the resulting court of inquiry for their commendable conduct. The pilot was taken to hospital at Doncaster. It was recommended that the trees were a hazard to flying and they be cut down.
Hampden L4175 was built to contract 549267/36 by Handley Page Ltd at Radlett. It was allotted to 106 Squadron on 4th March 1939 but was not taken on charge by them until 18th May 1939 at Thornaby. 106 Squadron moved to Evanton on 19th August 1939 and to Cottesmore on 1st September 1939 before to Finningley on 6th October 1939. It was written off following the incident detailed above with Cat.W/FA being recorded after assessment. It was struck off charge on 3rd November 1939.
Pilot - P/O Alan Claude Dier RAF (40090). Injured.
Alan Dier received a commission to the rank of Acting P/O on probation on 5th September 1937 and was later regraded as P/O on 12th July 1938. He was the pilot of Battle K7563 that crashed near Thornaby on 8th April 1939. He promoted to F/O (war subs) on 12th March 1940 and F/Lt (war subs) on 12th March 1941. F/Lt Alan Dier was to loose his life on 7th July 1941 in the Luton area in the collision between Magister L5984 and Tiger Moth T7113 with 24 E.F.T.S.. He was twenty one years old and is buried in Luton Church Burial Ground, Bedfordshire.