Halifax HR801 at Dalton airfield.
During the evening of 28th June 1944 this 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft was flown on what was described as a "radar cross country flight" which presumably was some form of cross country navigation exercise using on board radar equipment. I have not learnt how this type of exercise was carried. The aircraft took off from Topcliffe at 21.40hrs and at this time it would not be dark for some time as the UK was using double British Summer Time. During the flight the aircraft suffered a problem with the starboard inner engine so it had to be shut down and the propeller then feathered. This would appear to have caused the crew to abandon the training exercise and fly back towards Topcliffe. While flying in the circuit of Topcliffe airfield the aircraft then suffered the starboard outer engine fail and the aircraft then began to loose height. In seeing Dalton airfield the pilot attempted to land there but at 22.50hrs the aircraft failed to make it, it began to swing, ran through two hedges with barbed wire fences, crossed a road and then struck a bomb fusing hut on the boundary of the airfield. The aircraft was badly damaged when it came to a halt near the bomb dump but the crew appear to have escaped injured. The engines were inspected for faults and poor maintainance was deemed to blame for the failures.
Pilot - F/Lt Danile Boyle RCAF (J/4325).