Whitley P5092 near Great Ouseburn.
On 3rd June 1941 this 102 Squadron aircraft force landed after engine failure near Great Ouseburn and stopped on (or very close to) the Aldwark Bridge road leading from Great Ouseburn. The aircraft was on the approach to land Linton on Ouse and could not maintain height resulting in a crash landing. The crew escaped injury and the aircraft was later recovered by 60 MU
and repaired.
Crew - Names unknown.
Whitley P5092 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd, at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 6th July 1940. It was
delivered to 19 OTU at Kinloss soon after but due to shortage of operational aircraft at Driffield as a result of the bombing raid on 15th
August 1940 and further operational losses it was transferred to 102 Squadron (then at Leeming) on or about 25th August 1940. On 1st September
1940 it moved with the unit to Prestwick and on 10th October 1940 it returned to Yorkshire with the unit to Linton on Ouse airfield.
On 21st October 1940 it is listed elsewhere as having sustained Cat.M/FB damage when it was force landed somewhere in Yorkshire on return from Ops and sustained only slight damage
(recorded on its own webpage on this website). The 102 Squadron records actually do not agree with this, P5092 was never used operationally on this date. If it was damaged then it was repaired on site and flown out and returned to 102 Squadron. On 5th February 1941 it suffered
Cat.M damage when suffered a landing accident at Driffield. Again it was repaired on site and returned to the
unit. On 3rd June 1941 102 Squadron were based at Topcliffe and it sustained Cat.R damage following the mishap detailed above. From here it was taken apart and taken away by road to be
repaired in works. On completion of these repairs it was taken on charge by 19 OTU at Kinloss but lost, with Cat.E2/FA damage, when broke up
in the air on a bombing exercise when photoflash exploded in fuselage and it crashed near Lossiemouth with the loss of its then crew of five.