Date:	Sunday 22 February 1953
Time:	11:42 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 5
Owner/operator:	613 (City of Manchester) Sqn RAF
Registration:	VV604
MSN:	EEP/42...
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Markington, 8 miles NW of Harrogate, North Yorkshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Ringway, Manchester
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.Mk.5 VV604,["Q3-C"] 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron, RAF: On 22nd February 1953 the pilot of this aircraft was flying as part of a formation, as number two to the formation leader and all the formation climbed to 25,000 feet. This aircraft was seen to lag behind the other aircraft and be flying a thousand feet below his leader. The formation then made a 180 degree turn to port but this aircraft did not follow the formation and was lost to the other pilots.

At 11:42 hours the aircraft was seen to a near vertical dive descending at high speed. It crashed into woodland near Markington, killing the pilot instantly. Given the facts prior to the crash it was assumed the pilot had suffered from anoxia and had passed out well before impact with the ground. The aircraft reached such a high speed in the dive that it passed through the sound barrier, causing a sonic bang in the area. The wreckage of VV604 was recovered, and formally struck off charge on 6th March 1953 as Cat.5(Scrap)

Pilot - Sergeant Arthur Rodgers RAF(Aux) (2688634), aged 29, of Urmston, Manchester. Cremated Manchester Southern Cemetery.

The reported crash location of Markington is a village in the Harrogate district, in the English county of North Yorkshire. Nearby settlements include the city of Ripon, the town of Harrogate, the village of South Stainley and the hamlet of Ingerthorpe. The A61 is nearby.

NOTE: Although the crash site is stated at "8 miles north west of Harrogate" or even "near Leeds" in some official reports, the village of Markington is 4.75 miles south-south-west of Ripon, and thus nearer Ripon than Harrogate. The official files into the incident at the National Archives at Kew are equally vague/inaccurate: File BT233/139 (see link #4) states "Vampire 5, VZ604*: near Harrogate, Yorks., 22 Feb. 1953", while File AVIA 5/32/S2619 (see link #5) states "Vampire 6 FB (VV-604). Location: Markington near Leeds. Report No: S2619". *Note that VZ604 was a Gloster Meteor FR.9 and NOT a DH Vampire!

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.141 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 342
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 91)
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/139: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424260
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/32/S2619: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578465
6. 613 squadron ORB (Operational Records Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/11/1951 to 31/12/1954: National Archvies (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2676/5 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8427049
7. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/yorksother/vv604.html
8. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VV
9. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt
10. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1208358/
11. https://www.airhistory.net/photo/31946/VV604
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markington

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Jan-2015 20:35	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-Jan-2020 22:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Source, Narrative]
09-Jan-2020 21:43	stehlik49	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
14-Apr-2021 18:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
14-Apr-2021 18:48	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
14-Apr-2021 19:00	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]