On 31st May 1943 this aircraft was being used by 306 Squadron to move from Hutton Cranswick to Catterick airfield. Thornaby airfield was also used by 306 Squadron
while stationed at Catterick as a forward operating base but this mishap is not thought to have been an operational incident, given it was a two-seater aircraft it
was probably in the squadron's hack aircraft and probably a Magister. At 16.15hrs this aircraft took off from Thornaby in a cross-wind causing the aircraft to swing and drift and then to crash. There were no casaulties but the aircraft and engine sustained Cat.B damage. The pilot subsequently had his log book endorsed.
Pilot - F/Sgt Antoni Kepczynski PAF (P/780464).
Passenger - F/O Basil Clarence Kendall RAF (105915).
On 13th March 1943 Sgt Kepczynski was injured in a car crash when the car he was travelling hit a telegraph pole on route for Hutton Cranswick airfield from Northolt
airfield. He broke an arm and was admitted to Rauceby Hospital, Lincolnshire and was later posted to Hutton Cranswick airfield as non-effective sick. On 1st May 1943 he
was posted as operational again with 306 Squadron. Following this incident he was posted to 1601 Flight at Weston Zoyland for Target Towing duties on 15th June 1943. It
is believed that he was later posted to 315 Squadron and after the War he settled in the UK where he died in Nottingham.
Basil Kendall received a commission to the rank of Acting P/O on probation (emergency) on 5th September 1941, two months later he was graded as P/O on probation.
He was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st October 1942 but appears not to have been further promoted. He served as 306 Squadron's Intelligence Officer in
1943 before resigning his commission on 30th December 1946.
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