Mosquito NT259 at Church Fenton airfield.
On 5th January 1945 this 307 Squadron aircraft undershot a landing at Church Fenton airfield in poor visibility on return from a night navigation exercise. The undercarriage collapsed and the aircraft came to rest badly damaged. The crew escaped injury. There is no mention of this incident in the squadron records and I have not yet obtained any accident documentation to create a more detailed webpage.
Pilot - W/O Jan Pawlikowski PAF (P.792811).
Navigator / Radar Operator - W/O Witold Drewelus PAF (P.792534).
On 7th August 1952 Jan Pawlikowski was serving as an instructor with 228 O.C.U. and on this date he was flying in Meteor WF793 on a training exercise. While returning to Leeming airfield following a training exercise the aircraft flew into the ground on Bellerby Moor, near Leyburn killing him and a trainee pilot. Master Pilot Jan Pawlikowski was thirty eight years old and is buried at Leeming Churchyard, Yorkshire.