On the afternoon of the 4th of February 1943, an Avro Lancaster Mk III, designated ED496 of 9 Squadron, took off from Waddington on a test-flight and to make a series of practice circuits, practising landing and taking-off and testing the equipment involved in those manoeuvres. ‘Weather conditions were fine at the time.’ The pilot was Sergeant Charles Richard Land and he had four crew members with him. At about 16.00 hours the aircraft dived into the ground with the engines on, there was an explosion and the wreckage caught fire. There were no survivors. The impact occurred near the eastern boundary of a field south-west of Scopwick Station in the former parish of Kirkby Green. The field is low-lying peaty soil and close to a watercourse, and under such large momentum the stricken aircraft buried itself deeply. Attempts were made at the time to dig out the engines and the airframe and to recover the bodies of the crew but these attempts were unsuccessful. The cause of the crash was not established despite an enquiry by the Air Investigations Branch of the RAF. It is believed that the pilot's body was thrown clear in the crash, and his remains were taken to Norfolk for burial. The search for the other members of the crew had to be abandoned, however, and they are still buried at the site of the accident. A cross has been erected on the site as a memorial. {1}{2}