AN INQUEST has opened into the death of an airman on the North York Moors during the Second World War.

The inquest heard today that Eric Alan Stubbs, 22, died at Bransdale, near Helmsley, on October 11, 1944.

Coroner Jon Heath said he was an occupant of a military plane which crash landed.

He died as a result of the injuries he suffered but the cause of death was unascertained.

The Coroner adjourned the inquest to a later date.

An inquest has already opened into the death of the plane's pilot, Alfred Robert William Milne.

The remains of both men, both from Surrey, were discovered at a remote location near Chop Gate, on March 31 2020, along with military memorabilia.

They had been on a training exercise from RAF Beccles in Suffolk to RAF Turnberry in Ayrshire when their plane crashed.

The discovery of the remains resulted in a large-scale operation involving experts from the RAF and the Army, as well as forensic archaeologists who were able to identify the remains as male and more than half-a-century old.

A 72-year-old man was arrested in 2020 in connection with the discovery, but North Yorkshire Police and the Ministry of Defence Police concluded their investigation without any charges being brought.