Halifax MZ716 at Croft airfield.
During the afternoon of 4th July 1944 this 434 Squadron aircraft was to have been flown on an operational flight to bomb a target at Biennais. At 11.30hrs the aircraft was baing taxied on the perimeter track around Croft airfield when the got too close to the edge of the concrete. This rough concrete edge caused the starboard tyre to burst, the aircraft then ran onto soft soil beside the concrete and the starboard undercarriage leg collapsed. Cat.Ac damage was the damage assessment and the repair took until 12th July 1944.
I believe the squadron orb scribe has made an error in recording that this named pilot then continued to fly MZ716 on Ops on this date. MZ716 sustained Cat.Ac damage and would not have been flown after this incident minutes later. I would suggest the pilot with his crew transferred to the reserve aircraft and used that but the scribe had already logged who was in which aircraft prior to taking off. What the reserve aircraft was is not known.
Pilot - F/O D A McIntyre RCAF (J/25174).
Crew - Names unconfirmed.