Halifax LL488 at Holme on Spalding Moor airfield.
During mid-June 1944 Rufforth airfield had repairs carried out to the flying area so their resident unit, 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit, undertook some of it's flying activities at other airfields. On the morning of 21st June 1944 Halifax LL488 was one of the aircraft and crews despatched elsewhere and this aircraft used Holme on Spalding Moor airfield to carry out a training exercise. On board was an RAF instructor and a seven man trainee Free French crew. The exercise involved shutting down one engine and practicing flying on three engines. After a ten minute flight the aircraft made an approach to land at 09.10hrs at Holme on Spalding Moor airfield with an engine shut down. The approach the trainee pilot made was not suitable to land successfully so he took the correct decision to overshoot and fly around the circuit of the airfield to try again. In preparation to land full flaps had been selected and the pilot did not retract them. As the overshoot was taken the aircraft flying speed was fairly low so, forgetting to raise the flaps, the pilot put the aircraft in a dive to try and gain some speed. As the aircraft was still very low it clipped a tree with the port aileron causing it to jam. A crash landing had to be then made with the undercarriage up. The aircraft was badly damaged but all on board escaped injury.
Pilot (pupil) - Lt C Lau FFAF (001077).
Pilot (instructor) - F/O Leslie Falgate DFC RAFVR (169345).