ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 196620
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| Date: | Thursday 21 March 1940 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Vickers Virginia Mk X |
| Owner/operator: | Parachute Test Flt RAF |
| Registration: | K2329 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Henlow airfield, Bedfordshire, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | |
On Thursday 21st March 1940 the three occupants of Vickers Virginia K2329 (Mk X) of the Parachute Test Flight escaped largely unscathed when the aircraft stalled due to drag from parachutes about to be tested, and crashed on the railway lines bordering Henlow aerodrome.
The first Vimy, a heavy bomber bi-plane, was designed and built at the end of WW1 (1917-18) but production too late for active service. It entered squadron service with 58 Squadron at Heliopolis near Cairo in 1919. They remained in front line RAF service until 1925 and after withdrawal were used for training and in RAF livery up to at least 1938. The Virginia appeared in 1922 as a ‘stretched-Vimy’. Called the ‘Ginnie’ by its crews, the most numerous variant produced for the RAF was the metal winged Mk.X which remained in front line service until 1937. On retirement several were used at Henlow for parachute training until 1940-41. It is remarkable to think that these vintage aircraft were still lumbering around local skies two years into the war, still in useful service.
Sources:
http://www.mackz.net/cm_samplearticles.htm
http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafbramptonwytonhenlow/rafcms/mediafiles/5F546078_1143_EC82_2E687623966EBA91.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henlow
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Jul-2017 08:53 | Laurent Rizzotti | Added |
| 25-Nov-2018 18:12 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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