During the morning of 1st October 1942 this No.6 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit aircraft took off from Thornaby airfield so that an instructor could check the pupil pilots flying ability. Thirty five minutes into the flight the aircraft crashed near Leven Bridge at 10.30hrs sadly killing two airmen. A map reference given in the casualty file plots to the bridge itself. The cause for the accident was never established though it was stated that single engine flying would have been part of the flying check on this flight and the pilot may have lost control while this aspect of the flight was occuring. A civilian lorry was struck and damaged during the crash.
Pilot (Instructor) - WO1 Brian Higginbotham RAFVR (742629), aged 25. Buried Thornaby on Tees Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Pilot (Pupil) - F/Sgt Albert Royston Sanger RCAF (R/98135), aged 21. Buried Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol.
Brian Higginbotham was born on 18th March 1917 at Newcastle and enlisted for RAF service on 6th December 1938. He is buried at Thornaby Cemetery.
Hudson AM619 was built by Lockheed-Vega at Burbank, California and was purchased under British Purchasing Commission contract A-1749. It was delivered by ship to the UK in May 1941 and after acceptance at 23 MU it was issued to 407 Squadron RCAF on 13th June 1941. It required a repair in works on 16th December 1941 and after repair was taken on charge by No.6 (C)O.T.U. on 11th June 1942. It then passed to 48 Squadron on 25th July 1942 but returned to No.6 (C)O.T.U. on 11th September 1942. As a result of the incident on 1st October 1942 Cat.E2/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge.
Albert Sanger was born on 16th August 1921 at Bristol, England and was the son of Albert William and Margaret (nee Westlake) Sanger. The family emigrated to Canada in the 1920s and set up home at Kingsville, Ontario. As a young man he worked at a number of seasonal jobs as a labourer. He enlisted for RCAF service on 21st April 1941 in Windsor, Ontario and after training was awarded his Pilot's flying badge on 5th December 1941. He arrived in the UK in early 1942 and trained at 6 AFU before being posted to 6 (C)OTU on 1st September 1942.