On 6th June 1944 this aircraft was being flown on a combined familiarisation and cine gunnery flight. The aircraft belonged to the 554th Fighter Training Squadron, 496 Fighter Training Group, USAAF. At 14.00hrs the P-38 was seen to fly up to and then briefly formate with two RAF Hurricanes that were flying over the general Howden area at around 1,000 feet above the ground. The P-38 then broke away, sped up and made a half-roll to the left. It was seen to then enter a spin and with little height available to regain control it then crashed near Brind Leys Farm, near the hamlet of Brind, near Spaldington. The pilot died as a result of the crash.
Pilot - 1st Lt Charles S Young USAAF (O-2044927), aged 24. Buried Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
In May 2001 air historians Ken Reast, Albert Pritchard and Eric Barton field walked and located small fragments of this aircraft on the surface of the field with permission from the landowner to confirm the crash location. The photographs above shows small fragments that were retained by Eric Barton following his locating of the site. I also understand that aircraft parts collector Ken Ward may have also done a dig at this crash site and recovered a number of items.