Date:	Wednesday 7 March 1945
Time:	18:15 LT
Type:	Avro Lancaster B Mk III
Owner/operator:	227 Squadron, RAF
Registration:	PB610
MSN:	9J-O
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Balderton, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Balderton, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
Destination airport:	RAF Balderton, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B Mk. III PB610/9J-O of 227 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) while on an operational sortie on the evening of 7 March 1945. The aircraft swung off the runway on landing at RAF Balderton, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, and the undercarriage collapsed, the Lancaster being DBF (Destroyed by Fire) on return from mission to Sassnitz at 18:15hrs. As far as is known, all seven crew members on board survived uninjured

Crew:
Pilot: Flight Lieutenant Matthew William Bell RAFVR 143283 (NCO:1092927: Commission Gazetted Tuesday 20 July, 1943)
Flight Engineer: Sergeant Leonard Sidney Smith RAFVR
Navigator: Flying Officer Edward Foster DFC RAF
Bomb Aimer: Flying Officer Gerald Francis Orry RAFVR 153497 (NCO:1132612: Commission Gazetted Tuesday 16 November, 1943)
Wireless Operator: Flying Officer Henry Albert Thomas RAFVR 161024 (NCO:1377792: Commission Gazetted Tuesday 15 February, 1944)
Mid-Upper Gunner: Sergeant Raymond Cecil Stanley Wells RAFVR 1805639
Rear Gunner: Sergeant R O H Stephen RAF

Pilot previous incident: EE967, 3/4 August 1944
Pilot and 4 crew killed: PA214 14/15 March 1945.

The target of Sassnitz (Saßnitz) is a town on the Jasmund peninsula, Rügen Island, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. RAF Balderton was a former Royal Air Force satellite station located 2.0 miles (3.2 km) south of Newark-on-Trent

Brief History of Lanaster PB610
Built by A V Roe & Co Ltd at Woodford to contract Acft/1807
01-10-1944; Issued to 207 Squadron RAF, Spilsby, Lincolnshire as 'EM-O'
08-10-1944: Transferred to 227 Squadron, RAF Baldertonm, Nottignhamshire as '9J-O'
07-12-1945: Cat, B(FA) damaged in flying accident on operational service as per the above
18-03-1945: Re-cat E(FA) (FACE - Flying Accident Cat. E) and stuck off charge

1. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
2. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
3. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
4. 227 Squadron RAF Operational Record Book (Record of Events for the period 1 to 31 March 1945): National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1410/26 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8395268
5. Aircraft Movement Card (Air Ministry Form AM.78): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-78s/Lancaster/PB561-PB641/mobile/index.html
6. Aircraft Accident Record Card (Air Ministry Form AM.1180): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-1180/Lancaster/1945/March/prt1/1.html
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._227_Squadron_RAF#Reformation_in_World_War_II
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Balderton#Royal_Air_Force_(RAF)_use
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassnitz

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
28-Aug-2013 05:24	JINX	Added
10-Nov-2018 06:49	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator, ]
06-Mar-2024 08:18	Rob Davis	Updated [Narrative, ]
23-Jan-2025 20:39	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ]