Halifax EB127 at Rufforth airfield.

On 19th November 1943 this 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft was flown on a training flight with a pupil pilot flying with an instructor. At 19.47hrs the aircraft made an approach to land at Rufforth that was too fast and also too high but instead of the instructor telling the pupil to make an overshot and fly another circuit of the airfield to try again, the aircraft landed. As the aircraft was travelling too fast and also landed too far down the runway the pupil applied the brakes but the aircraft swung off the runway onto wet grass. It then began to skid at a sixty degree angle towards dispersed aircraft but after striking a chance light this deflected the aircraft resulting in the undercarriage collapsing. The instructor was blamed for not telling the pupil to not land and was taken off instructional duties within a week.

Pilot - P/O Simon Walter Templar RAFVR (149969).

Pilot - F/O Ronald George Spicer RAFVR (130968).