Halifax took off around 21:00 Middleton St George, after dropping bombs, it is achieved by shooting flak over Köln / Cologne, while flying at an altitude of about 3000 m. A left engine, hit, stop running and caught fire; a right motor also stops, the buzzer is turned off, as well as the electrical circuit. The nose of the aircraft is pushed, the pilot informed the crew that he thinks his orders no longer meet and all are preparing to evacuate the aircraft.
The pilot William Lunan attempts to extinguish the fire on board and almost succeeds, the plane went down about 600 meters from the ground. He managed to keep the Halifax flying on two engines and as the altitude can be maintained, he thinks still join England. After about twenty minutes, a German fighter attack and touches the left wing, a second pass 5 minutes later sweeping the fuselage. The pilot then made a sign to Arthur Fay to warn others that they should jump.