Halifax LV913 at Leeming airfield.
During the evening of 13th July 1944 this 429 Squadron aircraft was to have been flown on an airtest with just a pilot and flight engineer on board. On take off from Leeming airfield at 21.25hrs the starboard outer engine cut out causing the aircraft to swing uncontrollably. The port outer engine may then have also cut out. The pilot managed to avoid two parked aircraft and lifted his aircraft over a third that was parked on a dispersal but the flying speed would have been so low that the starboard wing then dropped. Whether the pilot managed to retract the undercarriage at this stage is not certain but it then crashed, coming to rest on it's belly. A fire broke out after the crash and would destroy the aircraft and both airmen in the aircraft were injured. Various fire tenders and crews sought to put out the fire which was burning near a dispersal that contained a number of 1,000 lb bombs, with the airfield tender becoming unservicable the Northallerton and Bedale NFS tenders were called to attend who pumped water from Bedale Beck (on the northern boundary of the airfield) and the fire was eventually put out at 01.25hrs.
The pilot was later awarded a DSO, the recommendation for this refers to this incident stating that he was thrown from the wreckage on impact and also sustained a broken back but that only "kept him in bed for a fortnight". He was taken to the military hospital in Northallerton and would return to duty with his back in a cast. The flight engineer was only slightly injured.
Pilot - W/Co Alan Frederick Avant DFC RCAF (J/10503). Injured.
Flight Engineer - WO1 Clifford Pierson Barnhart RCAF (R/52558). Injured.