Date:	Wednesday 3 January 1945
Time:	11:03 LT
Type:	Avro Lancaster B Mk I
Owner/operator:	1662 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit) RAF
Registration:	W4376
MSN:	H4-E
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Blyton, Lincolnshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Blyton, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Blyton, Lincolnshire

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B Mk. I W4376/H4-E of 1662 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit) RAF. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 3 January 1945 in a takeoff accident at RAF Blyton, Lincolnshire.

This Lancaster was airborne at 10:47hrs for a dual circuit and landing practice training sortie. Training went normally for 15 minutes, but, while performing pre-takeoff checks at 11:03hrs the undercarriage collpased, and the Lancaster was wrecked. No reported injuries to the crew of five

Crew:
Flight Lieutenant William Alexander Rainey DFC RAFVR (123607)(Instructor Pilot)
Pilot Officer Adamowaski Polish Air Force (Pilot Under Instruction)
Plus three further aircrew (all of the Polish Air Force) - names not yet known

RAF Blyton is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located in Lincolnshire, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) north east of Gainsborough, and 9.6 miles (15.4 km) south of Scunthorpe, England.

1. "Royal Air Force Bomber Command losses, vol 6. Aircraft and Crews Losses 1945", by W R Chorley, ISBN 0-904597-92-X
2. "The Bomber Command War Diaries", by Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt, ISBN 1-85780-033-8
3. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
4. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985).
5. 1662 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit) RAF Operational Record Book (Record of Events for the period 1 to 31 January 1945): National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/613/9 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160912
6. Aircraft Movement Card (Air Ministry Form AM.78): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-78s/Lancaster/W4365-W4384/mobile/index.html#1
7. Aircraft Accident Record Card (Air Ministry Form AM.1180): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-1180/Lancaster/1945/January/prt1/1.html
8. Biography of the pilot William Rainey DFC, RAFVR (1910-1978): https://www.northlincsweb.net/576Sqn/html/w_a_rainey_and_crew_576_sqn.html
9. https://northernbankwarmemorials.blogspot.com/2012/11/rainey-william-alexander.html
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conversion_units_of_the_Royal_Air_Force#List_of_conversion_units
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Blyton

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
28-Jan-2025 22:10	Dr. John Smith	Added
29-Jan-2025 21:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, ]