Whitley Z6648 at Topcliffe airfield.
On the night of 24th / 25th April 1941 this 77 Squadron aircraft undertook an operational flight to bomb Kiel. The aircraft took off from Topcliffe at 21.27hrs. Nothing out of the ordinary appears to have happened while on the flight. There was a strong gusty wind effecting flying at Topcliffe by the time this aircraft returned to the Yorkshire skies. On the approach to land at Topcliffe the aircraft stalled just before landing and just above the runway, it then landed heavily and the undercarriage collapsed. The time isn't given on the AM Form 1180 but the time appears to state 04.06hrs on the squadron records, though this would seem a bit early compared with other returning aircraft (unless they all waited for Z6648 to be moved before landing).
Pilot - Sgt Stanley Walter Cradduck RAFVR (754585).
Sgt Turner
P/O Birch
Sgt Petch
Sgt Middleton