Halifax LW389 at Croft airfield.
During the morning of 25th August 1944 this 434 Squadron aircraft was flown on a local flying training exercise but during the take off from Croft at 10.50hrs the main port tyre burst. The aircraft became airborne and the crew flew their training flight that lasted an hour. On landing at Croft at 11.50hrs the pilot thought that the starboard main tyre had burst so attempted to put most of the weight onto the port side, this unfortunately caused the aircraft to swing off the runway into a hedge. It came to rest near the Servicing Wing Headquarters with the port undercarriage collapsed. A small fire developed in and around an engine but was soon put out. Five days later the pilot and his crew were killed in a crash just over the Durham border near what is now Middlesbrough Football Club's training ground near Hurworth on Tees.
Pilot - P/O Charles Clarke Todhunter RCAF (J/8763).