This 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft took off from Riccall airfield near Selby in the afternoon of 26th November 1943 and the crew were to undertake a training flight. When flying near Pickering the aircraft was seen to dive twice and but recover from the dives. For some reason the starboard elevator broke off the aircraft and the aircraft was then soon to go into a near vertical dive and crash two miles west of Pickering, on Aislaby Carr at 19.55hrs. The crew of seven on board didn't stand a chance, they were all killed. The investigation did not find an actual cause for the crash but it did rule out that the loss of the elevator alone had not caused the aircraft to go into the final dive. Police report from the time stated that only five of the seven crew were in initially found, if this was the case and I am not doubting it, then the bodies (or fragments) of the other two must have been located at a later date in the ground. The wreckage was concentrated in a small area and it was thought by at least one local man (who I spoke to in 2003 and has since died) believed it to have been a Mosquito. This is clearly not the case but does perhaps go to show the visible wreckage was perhaps minimal. After the crash Pickering police informed Wombleton airfield who sent their crash tender and ambulance with a spare then being despatched to Wombleton to act as cover for their night flying training exercises. Pickering NFS attended the site and a guard was place on it by an Army unit but I do not know the unit involved.

This is my most local aeroplane accident to where I live and I have gathered a reasonable ammount of information into it. The crash site has been dug on one occasion under MoD licence and I understand again by a military parts collector who recovered at least one of the aircraft's Merlin engines as well as other things in the aircraft. Why an MoD licence was granted in the first place does seem like the MoD people passing the licence application did not review the events after the crash in the existing documentation, it would not be a shock to me if both digs on the site discovered human remains.

I do not know where the broken part of the tail landed, the accident records state it was up to a mile away from where the crash eventually occurred.

Halifax DT490 was built to contract B982938/39 by English Electric Ltd at Samlesbury and was taken on charge by 76 Squadron Conversion Flight at Middleton St.George on 30th August 1942. On 16th September 1942 76 Squadron & 76 Squadron Conversion Flight left Middleton St.George; 76 Squadron moved to Linton-on-Ouse and 76 Squadron Conversion Flight moved to Riccall. Possibly because of the lack of serviceable aircraft on the parent unit, it found itself on charge with 76 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 19th September 1942. On 22nd September 1942 it sustained damage at Linton on Ouse while taxying the tail wheel collapsed after hitting a half submerged water pipe. Cat.Ac/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site. The aircraft was servicable and was returned to 76 Squadron on 16th October 1942. On 22nd February 1943 it was flown to English Electric Ltd for modifications and once complete it returned to 76 Squadron on 7th March 1943. The aircraft was transferred to 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit at Riccall on 18th April 1943. On 20th May 1943 it was in need of a repair on site that was carried out by Handley Page Ltd, almost certainly not accident damage. It was returned to 1658 H.C.U. on 6th July 1943 and was destroyed as a result of the accident near Pickering on 26th November 1943. Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 30th November 1943.

Pilot - Sgt Thomas Eric Jones RAFVR (1483420), aged 22, of Widnes. Buried Farnworth Churchyard, Cheshire.

Navigator / Bomb Aimer - Sgt Robert Fletcher RAFVR (1322503), aged 22, of Chessington. Buried Chessington Churchyard, Surrey.

Flight Engineer - Sgt Leslie Lee RAFVR (1623490), aged 20, of Barlby, Yorkshire. Buried Selby Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Navigator - Sgt Reuben Ginsberg RAFVR (1391642), aged 22, of Golders Green. Buried Willesden Jewish Cemetery, Middlesex.

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Leslie Seaborn Jenkins RAFVR (1600405), aged 33, of Burnham on Crouch. Buried at Burnham on Crouch Cemetery, Essex.

Air Gunner - Sgt Frank Septimus Quine RAFVR (1113656), aged 29, of Hull, Yorkshire. Buried Hull Northern Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Air Gunner - Sgt John Francis Megranahan RAFVR (1819478), aged 19, of New Malden. Buried Morden Cemetery, Battersea, Surrey. Served as "Megran".

Sgt Lee's headstone in Selby Cemetery and Sgt Jones's family grave in Farnworth Churchyard near Widnes.

Frank Quine is shown on the second from right on the photograph above, this photograph was kindly supplied by his nephew, Guy Morgan. Frank Quine is buried in Hull Northern Cemetery, his death was listed in the Hull Mail newspaper but no obituary has been located in the newspaper for him other than in the basic acknowledgements section and that he was a cousin of one Major Richard Barker USA. Frank had a number of siblings, one, Guy Quine served in the Royal Navy and was awarded the MBE for his service.