On 30th January 1944 the pilot of this aircraft was undertaking a night training flight and this appears to have been his first solo night-flight in the Anson type. He and the aircraft were on the books
of the Staff Pilot Training Unit (S.P.T.U.). The pilot had left the immediate area of his home airfield when deteriorating weather conditions effected his visibility he became lost. He was unable to contact his
airfield by radio or locate where he was. He made three practice overshoots of a field and then force landed around a mile south of Satterthwaite at 04.00hrs, in the Grizedale
Forest area after just short of three hours in the air.
Pilot - Sgt Wieslaw Julian Karpinski PAF (P/703495).
Wieslaw Karpinski was born in Jaroslaw, Poland in August 1922. On 19th February 1945 he was training with 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit and piloting Lancaster ED779 on a training flight, while landing at Blyton the aircraft floated down the runway and was about to overshoot so he swung the aircraft deliberately. Unfortunately the port undercarriage leg collapsed due to the strain on it. He completed his training and was posted to 300 Squadron. After the war he and his wife emigrated to Canada and he died in November 2012 in Hanover, Ontario.
The location of where this incident occurred in Cumbria has not yet been found. If you can assist please contact me
HERE. Thank you.