Halifax L9569 at Leeming airfield.
At 11.40hrs on 29th March 1942 this 10 Conversion Flight aircraft swung of take off from Leeming airfield for a dual control instructional training flight, the pupil pilot overcorrected the swing and the starboard undercarriage leg then collapsed when it ran into soft ploughed ground. The AM Form 1180 states that the undercarriage would not have collapsed had the grass not been ploughed.
Pilot (Pupil) - S/Ldr Frederick William Thompson RAFVR (60758).
Pilot (Instructor) - Name unknown.
Halifax L9569 was built to contract 692649/37 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett. It was received by 24 MU on 20th June 1941 and was taken on charge by 35 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 2nd August 1941. On 11th September 1941 it was force landed at Egthorne, Kent on return from Ops to Turin in thick cloud and running out of fuel. Minor damage resulted and a repair on site was carried out. As a result of a mishap at Linton on Ouse on 9th December 1941 the damage appears to have been assessed as Cat.A/FA and it was repaired locally on site at Linton on Ouse. The aircraft's AM Form 78 states that it then received two repairs on site, the first beginning on 14th December 1941 and the second on 30th December 1941. The aircraft was returned to 35 Squadron use on 31st January 1942 and was then transferred to 10 Squadron Conversion Flight at Leeming on 14th February 1942. The aircraft crash landed at Leeming and suffered damage on 29th March 1942 that saw a damage assessment of Cat.Ac/FA damage recorded. A repair on site was carried out at Leeming and it was returned to 10 Squadron (Conversion Flight) on 7th July 1942. The unit moved to Melbourne on 26th August 1942. On 7th October 1942 it was transferred to the care of 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit at Riccall. It then crashed at Melbourne on 4th January 1943. Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded and the aircraft was struck off charge on 14th January 1943.