Halifax LK703 near Skelton on Ure.
On the evening of 8th November 1944 this 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft was to have been flown on a circuits and landings training exercise at Dishforth airfield. The aircraft took off from Dishforth at 22.24hrs but the crew then failed to realise that the flaps were lowered to seventy degrees prior to setting off. The aircraft was unable to climb with this degree of flap set and it flew into rising ground on the south-west side of the airfield two minutes later. The aircraft appears to have crashed near Skelton Windmill, between the villages of Marton-le-Moor and Skelton on Ure. All on board could probably consider themselves very lucky to survive let alone with none apparently sustaining injuries. The named pilot was later posted to 425 Squadron on 6th December 1944.
Pilot - Sgt Charles Bernard Joseph Racicot RCAF (R/194185).