Halifax LW117 at Skipton on Swale airfield.
On the morning of 17th September 1944 this 424 Squadron aircraft was to have been flown on an operational flight to bomb a target at Boulogne. At 07.15hrs with reduced visibility due to fog, on take off from Skipton on Swale airfield the aircraft swung off the runway, the pilot lost control and the aircraft eventually skidded through the boundary hedge which caused the undercarriage to collapse. The aircraft was badly damaged and was not repaired. A possible failure in the starboard outer engine may have been the cause of the initial swing. The 424 Squadron orb does not list full crews on their operational sorties around this date nor does it mention this incident. I have yet to confirm who the full crew were.
Pilot - F/O James Grant Keys USAAF (T/223101).