Wellington W5572 at Linton on Ouse airfield.
On the night of 22nd / 23rd October 1941 405 Squadron were to undertake an operational flight to bomb Mannheim but Pocklington's NE/SW runway was unservicable so six of 405 Squadron's aircraft were flown over to Linton on Ouse during 22nd October 1941 to undertake a brief detachment there. The crew of this aircraft took off at 18.33hrs and attempted to undertake the operational flight but the aircraft iced up outbound. The port engine then failed and also problems with the oil pressure and the rear turret caused them to abandon the flight, they jettisoned the bomb load. On return to Yorkshire the pilot belly landed clear of the flare path at Linton on Ouse airfield at 01.35hrs, possibly due to the hydraulics being inactive. No injuries were reported.
Pilot - Sgt F? V? Taylor RCAF (R/75403).
? - Sgt Lee.
? - Sgt Roy.
? - Sgt Francis.
? - Sgt Nicholls.
? - Sgt Hesseldon.
Wellington W5572 was built to contract B.71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Weybridge and was awaiting collection in June 1941. It was received by 38 MU on 15th June 1941 and was then taken on charge by 405 Squadron at Pocklington on 14th July 1941. It was slightly damaged on 13th August 1941 when it clipped a tree prior to landing at Pocklington. Minor damage resulted that a repaird on site started the following day with it returned to 405 Squadron on 30th August 1941. As a result of the accident at Linton on Ouse on 23rd October 1941 Cat.B/FB damage appears to have been the damage assessment but it was then repaired on site so this may have been downgraded to Cat.Ac/FA damage. The aircraft was returned to 405 Squadron on 6th December 1941. On 22nd March 1942 it was damaged when the aircraft landed heavily and the undercarriage collapsed. The initial assessment of the damage recorded Cat.Ac/FA damage though this was then upgraded on 30th March 1942 to Cat.B and it was transported to Vickers at Castle Bromwich for a repair in works. Once repaired the aircraft next appears on charge with 1443 (Ferry Training) Flight at Harwell in September 1942 and then transferred to 1 O.A.D.U. at Portreath in preparation for transfer overseas. On 23rd September 1942 it was flown out to the Middle East / North Africa to join 104 Squadron at Kabrit, Egypt who then moved around in the following months. Moving on 6th November 1942 to Luqa, Malta, on 6th February 1943 to Soluch, Libya and on 14th February 1943 to Gardabia Main, Libya. On 21st March 1943 it failed to return from an operational flight to Mareth-Kettana and was found to have suffered an engine failure and was ditched off Tripoli. The crew of seven survived but the aircraft was written off with Cat.E/FB damage being recorded.