Lancaster ND855 near Lindholme airfield.
On 4th February 1945 this 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft was flown on a Bullseye training flight that would involve the crew navigating to a UK town or city and carry out a simulated bomb run on a specificied target. It would also test various ground units on their plotting and range setting anti-aircraft equipment. The aircraft at around 17.30hrs, probably either from their parent airfield at Faldingworth or possibly from Sandtoft. Just after 23.00hrs the crew were attempting to land probably at either Sandtoft or neighbouring Lindholme airfield. On the approach to land both the port inner and port outer engines were feathered, the approach to land was not successful so the pilot attempted to make an overshoot. Despite the lack of power the aircraft climbed to 600 feet then the starboard outer engine stopped. Loosing height the pilot made a belly landing in a field near Lindholme at 23.08hrs. It was found that the flight engineer had mis-managed the fuel cocks that supplied fuel from different tanks to the engines, allowing tanks to run dry when there was still fuel in other tanks.
1667 H.C.U. were based at Faldingworth but moved to Sandtoft on 17th February 1945. This aircraft may have already been using Sandtoft to carry of the exercise from. Sandtoft was the neighbouring airfield to Lindholme.
Pilot - P/O Arthur Reginald Screen RAFVR (187744).
Six further crew - Names unknown.