Date:	Friday 11 January 1946
Time:
Type:	de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito PR Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	8 (C) OTU RAF
Registration:	RF970
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Ireland Farm, 1 mile east of Billinghay, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Mount Farm, Oxfordshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Mosquito RF970: Took off for training flight. 11/01/1946.
Believed control lost with engine problem at high altitude. Broke up in flight due to the airframe being overstressed while recovering from the high-speed dive. Dived into ground at Ireland Farm, one mile east of Billinghay, North Kesteven, Lincolnshire.
Crew:
F/Sgt (1587819) David McLaren MacLEAN (pilot) RAFVR - killed
F/Sgt (1685185) Alan ASHWORTH (nav.) RAFVR - killed

Full Description
A de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk XVI crashed in the area around Irelands Farm, to the north-east of North Kyme, on the 10th of January 1946. The aircraft was designated RF970, and was flying on a training flight from RAF Mount Farm in Oxfordshire to RAF Coningsby. The aircraft was pulling out of a high-speed dive when it broke up in the air. Both crew members were killed in the incident. The crash site was confirmed in early 2013, after a metal detecting survey revealed an area of magnetic anomalies in this location.

1.http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH98%20prodn%20list.txtt
2.ORB 8 (C) OTU RAF
3.https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4100346
4. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578162
5. https://heritage-explorer.lincolnshire.gov.uk/Monument/MLI115766
6. Aviation Archaeologist Series No.3 Issue No.16: http://www.aviationarchaeology.org.uk/aviation-archaeologist-magazine?srs=Series%20No.3&issue=16
7. https://www.bcar.org.uk/1945-49-incident-logs#1946
8. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.93: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
9. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2709655/david-mclaren-maclean/
10. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2699856/alan-ashworth/
11. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
12. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.30
13. SLI16149 Unpublished Document: Lincolnshire Aircraft Recovery Group. 2013. Project Design for the Proposed Excavation of de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk XVI RF970, North Kyme
14. SLI14836 Report: Lincolnshire Aircraft Recovery Group. 2014. Report on the Excavation of de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk XVI, RF970
15. SLI16150 Unpublished Document: Lincolnshire Aircraft Recovery Group. 2014. Report of Items Removed Under Licence from Aircraft Crash Site, de Havilland Mosquito, North Kyme

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-Oct-2011 10:41	Nepa	Added
28-Jan-2012 13:29	Nepa	Updated [Departure airport, Source, ]
17-Sep-2014 19:45	wilbur	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
29-Aug-2015 11:42	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, ]
01-Apr-2016 18:28	Wilbur	Updated [Narrative, ]
14-May-2019 07:22	Nepa	Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Narrative, Operator, ]
03-Nov-2019 03:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
04-Nov-2019 14:10	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator, ]
21-Nov-2019 00:34	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
01-Jun-2021 20:08	Yelush	Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Operator, ]
03-Jun-2021 19:30	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
04-Jun-2021 11:47	Anon.	Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator, ]
04-Jun-2021 12:10	Anon.	Updated [Operator, ]
18-Jun-2021 08:30	Anon.	Updated [Time, Operator, ]
18-Jun-2021 08:34	Anon.	Updated [Narrative, Operator, ]
13-Jul-2021 16:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, Category, ]
18-Aug-2021 20:35	Anon.	Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator, ]
30-Nov-2021 10:38	Nepa	Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator, ]
27-Jul-2023 21:35	Dr. John Smith	Updated
28-Jul-2023 08:47	Nepa	Updated
30-Jul-2023 11:44	Nepa	Updated