On 20th June 1952 the pilot of this No.14 Advanced Flying Training School aircraft was flying a circuits and landings training exercise when he abandoned an approach to land at Holme on Spalding Moor airfield and attempted to fly an overshoot. The aircraft was put into a climb but the pilot did not see that Oxford AT781 was above him flying in the airfield's circuit and a collision occurred. Oxford HM961 lost the tail and then crashed with fatal results but the pilot of Oxford AT781 was able to regain control and land safely on the airfield.
(HM961) Pilot - Acting P/O Alan Wilson RAF (3133674), aged 21. Cremated Sunderland.
Alan Wilson was the son of Joseph and Florence Wilson, of Hetton le Hole, Co.Durham. His funeral service was held at Eppleton Church. Given there is a cemetery at Hetton le Hole he may have had his ashes interred there.
Historians Ken Reast, Albert Pritchard and Eric Barton sought permission from the landowner and may have located small fragments of this aircraft near Tollingham to possibly confirm the location. Of the information given to me on Eric and Albert's deaths the only bits they appear to have found was perspex fragments and Eric's usual report made for the landowner was not in his folder. The question then arises because they only located perspex perhaps Eric was hoping for more evidence they had actually found the crash site. Having seen the pieces, they do resemble aeroplane window perspex but they could also be fragments of perspex from more modern applications.
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