Halifax LV860 at Melbourne airfield.
On the night of 11th / 12th April 1944 this 10 Squadron aircraft was flown on a mine laying flight and took off from Melbourne airfield at 20.30hrs. The crew released their mines from 12,000 feet at 23.13hrs and made for home. The aircraft landed at Melbourne at 01.46hrs but the aircraft ran out of runway with the brakes failing to work. It ran into a ditch beyond the end of the runway which caused the undercarriage mechanism to be forced up into the housing and slightly damaging it. The brakes had failed as a pipe had broken. The ditch was deemed hazardous and it was selected for being culverted over.
Pilot - F/O Eric Francis Burgess RAFVR (144935).
Navigator - F/O A G Wallis.
Air Bomber - F/Sgt E B Hayes.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt George Arthur Mullinex.
Air Gunner - Sgt G Thorpe.
Flight Engineer - Sgt A Gilliland.
Air Gunner - Sgt A McCulloch RCAF (R/173188).