Halifax NA494 at Topcliffe airfield.
At 18.00hrs on 29th October 1944 this 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft was being marshalled around Topcliffe airfield prior to the crew undertaking a circuits and landings training flight. The aircraft was being guided across a rutted area of the grass and across soft ground that was waterlogged. While the ground marshall noticed the waterlogged ruts he could not see a nine inch deep water filled hole in one of the waterfilled ruts and unfortunately the tail wheel assembly collapsed when it ran into it.
Pilot - F/O R R Jones RCAF (J/26131).
The crew who arrived with F/O Jones at 1659 H.C.U. on 24th September 1944 had been crewed with pilot Sgt Lavoie who was seriously injured in the crash of Halifax MZ683 with 425 Squadron in June 1944. With their pilot being injured the crew appear to have been posted back to a heavy conversion unit to be re-crewed. They appear to have split up as F/O Jones left for 429 Squadron on 31st December 1944 with a totally different crew that whom which he arrived.