During the morning of 18th June 1944 the crew of this 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft were tasked with a flying exercise that included a circuit and landings practice using Acaster Malbis airfield while repair work was being carried out at their parent airfield of Rufforth. This type of exercise was a basic one that all converting crews carried out and involved the crew taking off, climbing away, making a circuit of the airfield, making an approach to land and then to land, with a series of these short flights in succession being common. As well as this routine part the crew were also practicing the overshoot procedure should a landing have to be aborted. The trainee crew made at least one circuit of the airfield successfully, during a practice overshoot the port outer engine failed and smoke was seen to come from it. At 10.25hrs the pilot lost control and it crashed near Ryther with the loss of all on board. The damaged wing was later examined and it was thought possible that the damaged engine was unable to have been feathered because of a fire that damaged the feathering system. 1663 H.C.U. ceased using Acaster Malbis airfield for this type of exercise later on the same date.
Pilot - Sgt John Douglas Rugg Jackson RAFVR (928428), aged 23, of Brighton. Cremated Brighton, Sussex.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Douglas Pritchard RAFVR (992691), aged 24, of Silsden. Buried Utley Cemetery, Keighley, Yorkshire (N/90).
Bomb Aimer - F/O Ronald William Crutcher RAFVR (152750), aged 21, of Rainham, Essex. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (B/G/6).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Henry Giles Smith RAFVR (1653074), aged 21, of Cogan. Buried Llandough Churchyard, Glamorgan.
Air Gunner - Sgt George Brazier RAFVR (1588551), aged 20, of Morecambe. Buried Torrisholme Cemetery, Lancashire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Billy Geoffrey Hicks Small RAFVR (2220737), aged 19, of Lichfield. Buried Lichfield Churchyard, Staffordshire.
Ronald Crutcher was granted a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 9th July 1943 and was promoted to F/O six months later.
John Jackson earlier service is already in the public domain. He had received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 19th December 1941 but his service was then terminated on 14th July 1942 when he was dismissed by sentance of a General Court Martial. This appears to have resulted from a breach of flying regulations that involved low flying.