Halifax NA617 damaged in the air, landed safely, probably at Marston Moor airfield.
During daylight hours on 1st January 1945 this 1652 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft was flown on a training flight. During the flight and while at 20,000 feet the pilot had left the controls (where he was going is not stated on the AM Form 1180 but one could assume he was caught short and was forced to use the on-board toilet facilities). He switched on the auto-pilot and the flight engineer took his place at the control. The auto-pilot system then failed causing the aircraft to dive steeply out of control. By the time the pilot got back into his seat and regained control the aircraft had lost 14,000 feet in height and the crew could probably count themselves very lucky. In pulling the aircraft out of the dive the aircraft skinning and engine nacelles sustained damage. It was thought that when the flight engineer had got into the pilot's seat he had accidentally lowered the flaps while doing so. This appears to have caused a problem with the auto-pilot system and would have seen it go out of control. The aircraft landed safely, probably back at Marston Moor airfield but the incident is not recorded in the unit records nor is the landing location given on the AM Form 1180.
Pilot - P/O Peter Rowland RAFVR (184437).