Oxford V3987 near Church Fenton airfield.
During the early hours of 28th July 1941 this 54 Operational Training Unit aircraft was to have been flown on a training exercise and the pilot took off from Church Fenton airfield at around 02.20hrs. Soon after taking off the aircraft flew into the ground between Church Fenton and Sherburn in Elmet at a shallow angle and disintergrated. The pilot was rescued and was taken to York Military Hospital but died of his injuries the same day. The crash investigation found a gyro had not been un-caged before take off which left the pilot's directional aid not working and he flew into the ground.
Pilot - Sgt Neil Brook RAFVR (1062111), aged 19, of Edgerton, Huddersfield. Died of injuries. Buried Edgerton Cemetery, Huddersfield, Yorkshire.
Research locally by air historian Eric Barton located a witness to what is believed to have been this incident and he recalled it crashed near Old Park Plantation on the south west side of Church Fenton. Following obtaining landowner consent Eric Barton, Albert Pritchard and Ken Reast located a few small fragments of the aircraft there in September 2012 to confirm the crash location. I would add that in Eric's notes he recorded that they only located three small fragments and that he concluded that the aircraft must have remained intact which is not correct. The AM Form 765c within the pilot's casualty file states that it totally disintergrated. I would respectfully say that while these three fragments were part of the Oxford they may not have been at the main crash site but only where part of it came to rest.
Oxford V3987 was built to contract B.55347/39 by the Standard Motor Company Ltd. at Canley, Coventry and was awaiting collection during the last week of May 1941. After a short period of storage it was taken on charge by 54 Operational Training Unit at Church Fenton on 2nd July 1941. Cat.E2/FA damage was the damage assessment following the crash on 28th July 1941 and the aircraft was struck off charge.
