Date:	Tuesday 10 April 1956
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.115 Vampire T Mk 11
Owner/operator:	4 FTS RAF
Registration:	WZ609
MSN:	15171
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	1 1/2 miles WSW of RAF Middleton St. George, County Durham -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Middleton St.George, Darlington, County Durham.
Destination airport:	RAF Middleton St. George, Co.Durham
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.115 Vampire T.Mk 11 WZ609: delivered 8/7/1953. RAF Service career was with 4 FTS RAF Middleton St. George (coded "76") only

Crashed and destroyed 10/4.1956: Flew into the ground while in the circuit at Middleton St George, County Durham killing both crew. Shortly after take off, the aircraft was recalled to base, due to adverse weather conditions. The crew of the Vampire completed a controlled descent, and then overshot the runway at Middleton St. George, in order to make a visual assessment of the runway and the local conditions. The crew was told over the R/T to land on a particular runway, but while lining up to do do, the aircraft overbanked, stalled and dived into the ground. Aircraft came down one-a-half-miles west-south-west of Middleton St. George

Crew of Vampire VZ609:
Flying Officer Hubert John KIMBER, RAF (QFI Flying Instructor, Service Number 3504802, aged 26)
Pilot Officer Peter Goddard SHARMAN, RAF (Pupil Pilot Under Instruction, Service Number 205948, aged 24)

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.179 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 109)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.188
4. http://www.dtvmovements.co.uk/Info/Mil/Mil1956.htm
5. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1956.htm
6. http://www.nelsam.org.uk/NEAR/Losses/Losses-PostWWII.htm
7. http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/dh115.pdf
8. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WZ
9. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1950-1959_26.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Mar-2013 15:05	Dr. John Smith	Added
10-Jan-2020 18:51	stehlik49	Updated [Aircraft type, Nature, Departure airport, Operator]
14-Jun-2020 22:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
15-Jun-2020 07:45	stehlik49	Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Operator]