Master AZ795 at Catfoss airfield.

At 11.56hrs on 16th March 1945 this Central Gunnery School aircraft took off from Catfoss airfield for a gunnery training flight, on board was an instructor flying with a gunnery pupil who was the pilot of the aircraft. When the aircraft took off both men heard a thudding sound from the aircraft and believed that a hatch was loose so contacted the control tower to seek permission to over fly, they then flew around the airfield and over the control tower where staff reported that they could not see anything unusual with the aircraft. The aircraft was flying normally but the nose persisted and being unsure what the noise was the pilot decided to land. During their first attempt at landing their aircraft was blocked by another aircraft. During the approach to land for the second time at 12.05hrs the pilot the aircraft reached a height of around ten feet from the ground when the starboard wing started to drop and then touched the ground. Despite trying to apply power and climb away the pilot was unable to regain control, the starboard wing then hit a sodium and the aircraft crashed onto the airfield. The aircraft came to rest with the engine broken off and the starboard wing disintergrated. The AIB did a detailed examination of the wreckage and concluded that part of the starboard wing structure had come loose in flight causing the starboard wing to stall at low speed, this would cause the wing to drop as it did.

Pupil Pilot - Major C B Allen USAAF. Injured.

Pilot (Gunnery Instructor) - F/O Keith Cecil Noble-Campbell RAF (72878). Injured.