Halifax LV783 at Snaith airfield.
On the night of 25th / 26th February 1944 this 51 Squadron aircraft was flown on an operational flight to bomb Augsburg. The aircraft took off from Snaith at 21.27hrs but outbound the oil pressure on the starboard inner engine dropped so the crew shut down the engine and feathered the propeller. The bomb load was jettisoned at 23.33hrs from 18,000 feet and the crew made for base. At 01.54hrs the aircraft made an approach to land at Snaith with the undercarriage lowered but at just 30 feet off the ground prior to landing the undercarriage warning horn sounded indicating a problem. Flying on three engines and with the undercarriage and flaps down attempting to make an overshoot to attempt to fix the problem was not possible so the crew landed. Before the aircraft came to a stop the starboard undercarriage leg collapsed and the aircraft was slightly damaged.
Pilot - P/O James McGregor RAFVR (159573).
Second pilot - F/Sgt L Galbraith.
Navigator - P/O Gordon Campbell Stephen RCAF (J/19030).
Air Bomber - Sgt James Leslie Booth RAFVR (1491261).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Colin Lionel Alliker RAFVR (1388773).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Arthur William Burnett RAFVR (1685238).
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Donald Barker RAFVR (1339947).
Air Gunner - Sgt Gerard MacFadden RAF (629557).