Halifax W1168 near Riccall airfield.
During the afternoon of 2nd February 1944 this 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft was flown on a circuits and landings training exercise using Riccall airfield. at 15.00hrs the crew were making an approach to land when the trainee pilot misjudged the height and the aircraft flew into the runway with the two main undercarriage legs lowered. This caused the aircraft to bounce back into the air. The instructor took control, he attempted to fly off to fly a circuit of the airfield but with the undercarriage down and with the flaps extended the aircraft would not maintain height. It touched down within the airfield boundary and came to rest in a field around a quarter of a mile east of the airfield.
Pilot (instructor) - P/O Thomas James Bishop DFC RAFVR (155011).
Pilot (pupil) - Sgt Denis Johnson RAFVR (1458103).