Date:	Monday 28 May 1951
Time:	day
Type:	Percival Prentice T Mk I
Owner/operator:	7 FTS RAF
Registration:	VR231
MSN:	PAC-050
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	mile south of Grimsthorpe, South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Cottesmore, Oakham, Rutland
Destination airport:	RAF Cottesmore
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Percival Prentice T Mk.1 VR231, 7 FTS RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 28/5/1951, when crashed one mile south of Grimsthorpe, Lincolnshire. On a training sortie from RAF Cottesmore, Oakham, Rutland, the pilot had just completed a practice forced landing, and then began to commence the overshoot from an appropriate altitude. However, the engine failed to "pick up", when the throttle was advanced, therefore the aircraft failed to begin a climb. At a very low altitude, the aircraft struck a tree, crashed and was extensively damaged. The trainee pilot was Officer Cadet John William Babbington who sustained a fractured skull. It was the third sortie of the day.

The reported crash location of Grimsthorpe is a hamlet in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A151 road, and 3 miles (5 km) north-west from Bourne. Grimsthorpe falls within the civil parish of Edenham, which is governed by Edenham, Grimsthorpe, Elsthorpe & Scottlethorpe Parish Council

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.114 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.139
4. VR231 at Burnaston, Derby, April 1950: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1724258
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VR
6. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1950s-incident-logs#1951
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimsthorpe

May or June 1951 post crash.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-May-2008 11:10	ASN archive	Added
26-Nov-2012 18:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative]
07-Jan-2014 07:27	Jouni Laukkanen	Updated [Narrative]
23-Jan-2021 23:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
23-Jan-2021 23:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
24-Jan-2021 09:36	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]