Halifax LL232 near Catton.

During the evening of 24th October 1944 this 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft was to have been flown on a circuits and landings training exercise using Topcliffe airfield. The aircraft took off at 19.41hrs but soon after becoming airborne the constant speed unit on the port inner engine failed. The crew informed flying control of the problem, feathered the propeller on the port inner engine and began to fly a circuit of the airfield at around 1,000 feet. While flying in the circuit of the airfield the port outer engine then failed. The crew appear to have lowered the undercarriage hoping to go in to land but then raised the undercarriage and opted to then force landed at 19.51hrs in a field around a mile and a half a mile south-west of Topcliffe airfield on Catton Moor. Just prior to the landing the aircraft struck a tree with the starboard wing and a fire broke out on crashing. All on board escaped injury. The port outer engine failure may have occurred because the flight engineer had accidently turned the fuel supply off the wrong engine.

Pilot - F/O Rodmond Melville Gould RCAF (J/23070).

Pilot - F/Lt Terence Coghlan RCAF (J/14087).

Navigator - F/O R A Graham RCAF (J/39984).

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sergeant Francisco Lua Manzo RCAF (R/221574).

Air Gunner - Sergeant G R Holstrom RCAF (R/280833).

Bomb Aimer - F/O C H Robson RCAF (J/38816).

Air Gunner - Sergeant John Dallas Dixon RCAF (R/252961).

Flight Engineer - Sergeant Kilburn C Embree RCAF (R/183104).

Flight Engineer - Sergeant J Bobbins RAFVR (1895649).