B-24 Liberator 42-95227 at Leconfield airfield.

On 31st January 1945 the crew of this 564th Bombardment Squadron, 389 Bomber Group, USAAF aircraft was part of a group of 4030 aircraft taking part in a raid on Brunswick Hallendorf but because of poor weather conditions part of the raid was scrapped after the aircraft had taken off. In all 112 B17's and 291 B24's were recalled as were nearly 200 P51 fighters acting as escorts and scouting forces. By the time the force was recalled many were well on their way to the target area. Because of bad weather around their bases in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire many crews were diverted north to land and a number of aircraft suffered damage in Yorkshire trying to land. This specific aircraft was diverted to try and land at Leconfield, they reached the circuit of Leconfield by 14.00hrs. After circling the airfield with one of the four engines not working the crew were called into land and made their final approach. Fog was effecting the area of their approach and the aircraft did not get lined up correctly with the 19/01 runway that was in use at the time. At 14.05hrs the aircraft landed just off the side of the runway but with the left undercarriage leg on the runway and the nose and right wheel off the side of the runway. Unfortunately how the aircraft touched down meant that a four feet high bank of snow that had been cleared off the concrete was positioned in a line down the side of the runway and was between the left and nose undercarriage legs. In pulling the aircraft left to get the whole of the aircraft onto the concrete the nose wheel hit the snow and broke off, the aircraft then slid around a third of the runway length on its nose. It came to rest with the nose section damaged and blocking the runway. The runway in use was then switched and a few minutes later another Liberator sustained a collapsed nose undercarriage in steering through the same snow bank and came to rest close to the runway intersection. This occurred as a result of taking evasive action to prevent a collision with another Liberator whose crew had not realised that runway in use had been changed. This second mishap blocked the second runway and Leconfield diverted all other aircraft in their circuit away (possibly to East Fortune). Unfortunately one of these aircraft crashed at Hutton Buscel killing most of it's crew.

The crew list is taken from the USAAF accident report for the incident but seems to be missing a navigator.

Pilot - 1Lt William W Leesburg USAAF (O-829511).

Co-Pilot - 2Lt John O Kellogg USAAF (O-831215).

Bombardier - F/O Frank Peter Zitano USAAF (T-128630).

Engineer - T/Sgt Lewis G Ray USAAF (14001200).

Radio Operator - T/Sgt Joseph L Moore USAAF (30112998).

Left Waist Gunner - S/Sgt Robert L Hatfield USAAF (15339540).

Right Waist Gunner - S/Sgt Albert T Melton USAAF (18044585).

Tail Gunner - S/Sgt Herbert K Pine USAAF (37684365)

Nose Gunner - S/Sgt Kenneth R Smith USAAF (39334002).