On Tuesday, 23rd March 1954 this No.22 Flying Training School aircraft was flown on a training exercise that included authorised low flying. The unit was based at Syerston, Lincolnshire but whether this flight begun there or somewhere more local to where it eventually crashed is not known. While flying low over the Carlton Towers estate, to the south-east of Selby, the aircraft was seen to clip the tops of trees with the starboard wing. This initial impact caused part of the wing to detach but the aircraft remained airborne until it flew into more trees. It then dived into the ground and bounched into Dam Dyke, a drainage ditch on the Carlton Towers estate. Both the instructor and the pupil were killed.
Pilot (Instructor) - Sgt John Charles Mottram DFM RAF (3040099), aged 28. Buried Abbey Lane Cemetery, Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
Pilot (Pupil) - Upper Yardman Richard Vernon Emery RN (SMX.769544), aged 25. Buried Chelmsford Cemetery, Essex.
John Mottram was awarded the DFM for service in Malaya, Gazetted on 16th March 1951.
Historians Albert Pritchard, Eric Barton and Ken Reast located the crash site with permission from the landowner to confirm the location in March 1997. Eric lived locally in Camblesforth and this was one of the first sites the three located since discovering one another after retiring from normal "work". Above are Albert and Eric both looking exceptionally pleased to have located the site. Below are fragments retained by Eric to hopefully locate identification markings.
