Hurricane V6684 at Sand Hutton, Stamford Bridge.
On 20th December 1940 the pilot of this aircraft is believed to have been on a training flight when he was forced to land the aircraft (for unknown reasons) near White Sike Farm, Sand Hutton to the north east of York. The aircraft tipped up onto it's propeller on landing and damage to the propeller and undercarriage was sustained.
Pilot - F/O Zbigniew Czajkowski PAF (P/1014). Uninjured.
Hurricane V6684 was built to contract 85730/40/23a by The Gloster Aircraft Co. Ltd. at Hucclecote and was awaiting collection in September 1940, it was
delivered new to 303 Squadron the same month. The photograph above shows artwork applied to the aircraft after it's use during the Battle of Britain and
the photograph
shown at the top of this page shows V6684 with pilot's of 303 Squadron. It sustained Cat.R/FA damage in the incident at Sand Hutton in December 1940 as stated
above and was probably taken away from the site by road and repaired in works almost certainly by either D.H Ltd. or Hawker. On completion of the repair
it was allocated to 46 Squadron at Digby but this unit ceased operating Hurricane Mk.I's in December 1940 so the aircraft remained in storage. On 14th
May 1941 it was taken on charge by 121 Squadron at Kirton in Lindsey when the unit reformed after a period of absence from RAF service of twenty two
years. In July 1941 121 Squadron ceased operating Hurricane Mk.I's and it passed to 55 OTU at Usworth where it remained on charge until transferred
to 56 OTU at Tealing on 27th March 1942. On 22nd August 1942 it was seriously damaged with Cat.E2/FA damage recorded when it crashed in a forced landing
near Arbroath, Angus, Scotland.
Zbigniew Czajkowski was posted to 303 Squadron from a period at 55 OTU on 9th December 1940. He later commanded 317 Squadron between November 1942 and May 1943.
