Evans and his crew were on a daylight familiarisation trip out of RAF Leconfield, Yorkshire. They had been airborne for five minutes when a fire was noticed in the starboard outer engine. The engine was put out via the cockpit controls but the fire had spread down the fuel line. They were at 800ft, too low to bail out, and the pilot was forced to crash land in an field. The plane burst into flames, and Evans managed to stumble out of the wreckage. He and the other survivors were aided by locals and were taken to hospital. Evans was taken to Driffield Hosital, then to RAF Rauceby Hospital. After treatment and a period of rehabilitation at Marchwood Park, Evans was admitted to QVH in June 1944 to receive skin grafts on his hands. He was discharged in November and sent for assessment by the Medical Board. Evans was posted to a refresher course in Northern Ireland after treatment, but was repatriated home to Australia before he could return to operational flying.