Meteor F.3 EE362 near Oxton.
On 23rd August 1946 this 56 Squadron aircraft suffered an engine failure during a flight. The pilot was unable to reach his base at Church Fenton and attempted to force land close to Pallathorpe Farm, Oxton; between Tadcaster and Bolton Percy, but crashed whilst doing so. It passed through a hedge and spun around, coming to rest in a hay stack. The pilot managed to escape the aircraft before a fire took hold and he escaped with very minor injuries. The fire spread to the aircraft and also to the nearby haystacks. Harvest was underway on the farm and the crashing aircraft narrowly missed Mrs Clarence Bramley and her children, they were taking tea to harvest workers nearby. The pilot was able to run to the farm to use the telephone to call for help.
Pilot - W/O Francis Victor Ryans RAFVR (1143268).
Master Pilot Francis Ryans died in RAF service on 19th November 1956 possibly at Shawbury but may not have been the result of a flying accident. He was thirty three years old and is buried at Redhills Cemetery, Durham.