Stirling EF122 at Carnaby airfield.
At 10.02hrs on 10th November 1944 the crew of this 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft took off from Winthorpe airfield at 10.02hrs to undertake a cross country training flight. During the flight the aircraft's port inner engine failed which also caused the hydraulic system not to operate properly so they were diverted to land at Carnaby as a precaution. The Stirling landed there at 14.47hrs but unfortunately overflew 1500 yards of available runway before touching down. As the aircraft could not stop before the end of the available concrete the pilot swung the aircraft off but it collided with a civilian lorry parked next to the runway. The Carnaby station record book mentions that there were two belly landings in two days at Carnaby (a Lancaster on 9th, and this Stirling on 10th November) which would suggest it hit the lorry, then belly landed.
Pilot - F/Sgt John McBeath Byrnes RAAF (429920).
Crew - Names unknown.
Stirling was delivered as new to 622 Squadron on 20th August 1943 and later to 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit on 4th December 1943. It sustained Cat.B/FA damage in a flying accident on or just before 18th February 1944 when the damage assessment was made on the AM Form 178. It was repaired on site and returned to 1661 H.C.U. on 12th June 1944. As a result of the incident at Carnaby on 10th November 1944 minor Cat.Ac/FA damage appears to have been the damage assessment that should have seen it repaired on site at Carnaby. The incident is recorded in William Chorley's Bomber Command losses book which would suggest a further assessment wrote the aircraft off. I have not yet seen the AM Form 1180 to check that for details. The AM Form 78 however last dates the aircraft on 21st June 1947