On 16th December 1943 the crew of this A.F.E.E. aircraft were undertaking an airtest around the Sherburn in Elmet area in poor visibility. As they returned to Sherburn to land the aircraft suffered the port engine fail, the pitch control on the starboard propeller then failed causing the angle of the propeller to change. As the aircraft made an approach to land the aircraft lost height and then struck a railway embankment in the western under-shoot area. The undercarriage was smashed off and the aircraft then crashed into the field between the railway and the end of the runway. One of the passengers died of his injuries in York Military Hospital while the pilot and one (or possibly two) other passengers survived.
Pilot - F/Lt Robin Henry Palmer RAFVR (101485). Injured.
Passenger - Corporal Wilfred Mawson RAF (AAF) (871786), aged 46. Buried Hull Northern Cemetery, Yorkshire (226/21).
Passenger - Lt Murphy RAMC. Slightly injured.
One possible further passenger - Name unknown. Injured.
In October 2004 historians Albert Pritchard, Eric Barton and Ken Reast sought permission from the landowner and located small remains at the crash site to confirm the crash location, in the large triangular shaped field bordered by railway lines. The photograph above shows small aeroplane fragments located by Eric during his visit to the site, probably retained to be cleaned to look for identifying markings.
Robin Palmer received a commission on 11th April 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation and would receive promotions to F/O on 11th April 1942 and F/Lt on 11th April 1943. He was killed on 25th May 1946 flying Spitfire NN313 at the Beaulieu airshow, his rank was probably Acting S/Ldr as there is no reference to him receiving a full promotion in the London Gazette. He is buried at Eston Cemetery, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire.
Wilfred Mawson's grave at Hull Northern Cemetery.