Metal detecting WW2 aircraft crash sites: the Protection of Military Remains Act

A field with a wartime crash in it can look like any other field. Under the plough, though, it may hold aluminium, ammunition, and sometimes the aircrew themselves.

That is why the law treats these sites differently from ordinary farmland. The landowner can let you on. Only the Ministry of Defence can let you dig.

What the law says

The law is the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. Section 1 says it applies to “any aircraft which has crashed (whether before or after the passing of this Act) while in military service”. Nobody has to list the site first. The protection is automatic.

The Act calls the crash site a protected place. That means a place that holds the remains of the aircraft, or a substantial part of it, where the remains were left by the crash or in the immediate vicinity.

Section 2 then makes it an offence to:

• tamper with, damage, move, remove or unearth the remains, if you believe or have reasonable grounds to suspect the place holds the remains of a military aircraft;
• knowingly take part in an excavation carried out to do any of those things;
• knowingly take part in an excavation “for the purpose of discovering whether any place in the United Kingdom” holds such remains;
• knowingly use equipment in connection with one of those excavations.

Read the third point twice. Digging to find out whether a crash site is there is itself prohibited. You don’t have to hit wreckage to commit an offence.

GOV.UK sums it up plainly. All military aircraft crash sites in the UK and its territorial waters, and British aircraft in international waters, are protected. Tampering with, damaging, moving or unearthing anything at them is an offence unless the MOD has licensed it.

Any air force, any era

The Act isn’t limited to the RAF, or to the Second World War. GOV.UK says a licence is needed to excavate any military aircraft crash site in the UK, “irrespective of whether the aircraft was in the service of the British, American, German or other nation’s armed forces.”

The MOD’s licence notes add who owns the wreckage:

• Crashed UK military aircraft remain Crown property until the MOD disposes of them.
• Crashed enemy aircraft in the UK are treated as captured enemy property surrendered to the Crown.
• Crashed US military aircraft remain the property of the US Government. The MOD handles applications on its behalf.

Penalties and defences

Section 2 sets the penalty as a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum on summary conviction, or a fine on conviction on indictment.

The Act allows three defences:

1. You had a licence and stuck to its terms.
2. You reasonably believed the place wasn’t a protected place. This doesn’t apply on a formally designated “controlled site”.
3. It was urgently necessary for safety or health, or to prevent serious damage to property.

As with scheduled monuments, the reasonable-belief defence rewards people who checked. If local records or the farmer mention a crash in the field, that belief gets much harder to show.

legislation.gov.uk marks these sections as applying across the UK, and section 10 says the Act extends to Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland also has its own detecting rules. See our Northern Ireland guide.

The MOD licence

Licences come from the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), part of the MOD. The MOD’s notes are written for recovery groups planning a full excavation, not for a day’s detecting. GOV.UK and the MOD’s licence notes set out the conditions:

• Research first. You must supply details of the aircraft, the crash site and the fate of the crew. The JCCC checks them against MOD archives, the Air Historical Branch, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and, where relevant, German or American authorities.
• Apply early. Checks can take months, so GOV.UK advises applying at least three months before you plan to start.
• One named person. A licence goes to a named individual, not a group. That person must be there for the whole excavation, and must be 18 or over.
• One year, one area. A licence lasts one year and covers a defined area.
• No scouting digs. On land, the MOD won’t license preliminary explorations to establish which aircraft it is.
• Written landowner consent on the MOD’s form.
• No licence if human remains are likely to be found, or if significant amounts of unexploded ordnance are believed to be present.
• Extra hurdles in national parks and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Local councils may also want a project design and a final report, so the MOD says to check with the council or Historic Environment Record too.

The MOD can also send its own representatives to watch any licensed dig.

Who keeps the finds

Not you, by default. GOV.UK says everything recovered remains Crown property, even under licence, and the MOD can require you to hand it all over without compensation.

When the licence ends, you must send the JCCC a report listing every item found. A nil return is needed even if nothing turned up. GOV.UK says ownership of most items, including aircraft parts, may in practice be transferred to the licensee, but it isn’t guaranteed. Three kinds of item must always be surrendered:

• crew members’ personal items, which go back to them or their next of kin;
• official documents and records;
• items judged to be of historical interest. The MOD asks the RAF Museum for its view.

Treasure law runs alongside all this for anything else you find. See what counts as Treasure.

Human remains and live ordnance

Historic England says crash sites “can also be war graves, and may contain live ordnance.”

The MOD’s notes spell out what happens on a licensed dig. If human remains are found, the licence is suspended automatically. The finder must report it at once to the MOD and the police, who tell the coroner, and must not touch the remains. Nobody on the dig may name the crew. The MOD contacts the families.

If unexploded ordnance, ammunition or pyrotechnics turn up, the licence is again suspended, and the police must be told immediately. The notes add that possessing firearms, ammunition or explosives is strictly controlled under the Firearms Act 1968 and the Explosives Act 1875.

The same rule applies on any permission. The PAS Code of Practice says that if you find anything that may be a live explosive, device or other ordnance, call the police or HM Coastguard, tell the landowner, and don’t move it. It’s the same advice as in our storm beach guide.

If your detector finds wreckage

Stop. Don’t dig further, and don’t take anything home.

The MOD’s notes cover accidental discoveries. Anyone who comes across crashed aircraft remains, a farmer at work for example, should contact the JCCC. Moving or tampering with them further without a licence is an offence.

Make a note of where you were, and tell the landowner. The PAS Code of Practice lists military crash sites among the protected sites detectorists must respect.

How to check a field

Ask before you go:

• The landowner or occupier.
• The Historic Environment Record. Historic England says HERs have an important role in protecting aircraft wreck sites. It is working with HERs and volunteer groups to record accurate locations. In Kent alone, over 600 crash sites on land and over 300 offshore have been recorded.
• Your Finds Liaison Officer, who the PAS Code names as a source of information on protected sites.

Then put it in writing. Our permission letter template lets you mark areas that are off limits. A known crash site should be one of them.

Know of an American wartime crash site? Historic England asks people to share what they know with the American Air Museum.

FAQ

Is it illegal to metal detect a WW2 aircraft crash site?

The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 makes it an offence to tamper with, damage, move, remove or unearth the remains of an aircraft that crashed in military service, if you believe or have reasonable grounds to suspect the place holds such remains. It also prohibits excavating to discover whether a place in the UK holds such remains. You need a Ministry of Defence licence to do any of that, and the landowner's permission does not replace it.

Does the law cover German and American aircraft too?

Yes. GOV.UK says a licence is required to excavate any military aircraft crash site in the UK, whether the aircraft was in British, American, German or another nation's service.

How do I get a licence to excavate a crash site?

Apply to the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), part of the Ministry of Defence. You need to research the aircraft, the crash site and the fate of the crew, and supply the landowner's written consent. GOV.UK advises applying at least three months before you plan to start. The MOD's notes say licences go to a named individual aged 18 or over, last one year, and are not issued for preliminary explorations on land to identify an aircraft.

Can I keep what I find at a crash site?

Not automatically. GOV.UK says everything recovered remains Crown property, even under licence. Licensees must report all items to the JCCC. Ownership of many items may be transferred, but crew members' personal items, official documents and items judged of historical interest must be surrendered.

What is the penalty under the Protection of Military Remains Act?

Section 2 of the Act sets a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum on summary conviction, or a fine on conviction on indictment.

What should I do if I find aircraft wreckage while detecting?

Stop digging and leave it where it is. The MOD's licence notes say anyone who accidentally finds crashed aircraft remains should contact the JCCC, and that moving or tampering with them without a licence is an offence. If you find anything that may be ordnance, the PAS Code of Practice says to call the police or HM Coastguard and tell the landowner.

Sources

Every figure in this guide comes from one of these. We checked each one on 2 November 2026.

1. Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, section 1 (application of Act). www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/35/section/1
2. Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, section 2 (offences in relation to remains and prohibited operations). www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/35/section/2
3. Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, section 4 (licences). www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/35/section/4
4. Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, section 10 (short title, commencement and extent). www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/35/section/10
5. Ministry of Defence, “Aviation archaeology” (GOV.UK guidance, updated 21 November 2023). www.gov.uk/guidance/aviation-archaeology
6. Joint Casualty & Compassionate Centre, “Crashed military aircraft of historical interest: licensing of excavations in the UK. Notes for guidance of recovery groups” (July 2018). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f59eafed3bf7f7237cf3e69/20180514_Licence_NotesforGuidance_2018-3.pdf
7. Historic England, “Military Aircraft Crash Sites”. historicengland.org.uk/research/current/discover-and-understand/military/aircraft-crash-sites/
8. Portable Antiquities Scheme, Code of Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting. finds.org.uk/guides/detecting-guidance/code-of-practice-for-responsible-metal-detecting