Halifax LL464 at Topcliffe airfield.
During the evening of 16th September 1944 this 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft was to have been flown on a Bullseye training flight. At 20.20hrs the crew attempted to take off from Topcliffe but as the aircraft picked up speed it swung off the runway. Without any order to do so the flight engineer moved the throttle control to reduce power to the engines assuming that the crew would abandon the take off run. The pilot however had other ideas and ordered the throttles to be opened as he still intended to take off. The aircraft picked up speed again but failed to get airborne, it ran out of available airfield, ran over the perimeter track and struck Halifax R9363 that was parked and empty on a dispersal point. The aircraft must have been travelling fairly fast as it then managed to run through some four hedges. Rather amazingly the Halifax's undercarriage legs remained intact and the aircraft only received minor damage.
Pilot - F/O William Reginald Arnold RNZAF (NZ.425686).