Mosquito PR Mk 9 LR412 , RAF Benson ,Oxfordshire 9th February 1944, Aran Fawddy Bala North Wales

 A long but worth while trip to the Welsh mountain of Aran Fawddy near Bala , to find the site of the loss of Mosquito PR Mk 9 LR412 the plane on a test flight from RAF Benson ,Oxfordshire on the 9th February 1944 for unknown reasons the plane crossed the coast and entered the mountains below the recommended altitude flying in good viability the plane struck Aran Fawddy with the sad loss of both crew the plane crashed at 2400ft with one engine stopped which has generated mystery given the planes excellent single engine performance and the crews very high experience level especially the Navigator F/lt Paul Riches DFC Maybe the faulty engine distracted the crew and they lost situational awareness ? the plane was not found until 5 days later .

 At the site there remains a scrape containing some small parts and in the rocks nearby there is a collection of undercarriage and skin remains buried in the rocks by the recovery crew ,further down the slop about 100ft away is another burial of parts and in a hollow by a rock a good 300 ft lower was a collection of skinning and tanks remains hidden in a sink hole walking back across the slope way off the path i found one more part with a message written one it giving the planes details dated 1990

F/O Marek Slonski-Ostoja P.A.F
F/Lt Paul Riches DFC R.A.F.V.R