Halifax HX180 at Elvington airfield.

On the evening of the 1st October 1943 the 102 Squadron crew of this aircraft took off from Pocklington airfield at 19.10hrs to undertake a training flight, two hours into the flight the starboard outer engine had lost power so the propeller was feathered. Flying in three good engines the pilot made a landing at Elvington airfield. On touch down the aircraft bounced and swung off the runway. It came to rest badly damaged almost certainly with the undercarriage collapsed. Presumably the crew felt the aircraft would not make the flight all the way back to Pocklington airfield so landed at Elvington.

Pilot - Sgt William Hennys RAF (859667).

Crew - Names unknown.

The pilot appears to have been posted in to 102 Squadron in September 1943 but was posted out in December 1943 and after this I have not yet traced his movements until he arrived back at 102 Squadron in March 1944 and was posted away again in June 1944. His eyesight was deemed defective for night flying in May 1944 after a further accident at Pocklington involving Halifax HX153.

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