Date:	Thursday 18 December 1952
Time:	night
Type:	de Havilland DH.113 Vampire NF Mk 10
Owner/operator:	25 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WM669
MSN:	13042
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	English Channel, 6 miles SE of Dungeneness, Kent, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF West Malling, Maidstone, Kent
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.113 Vampire NF.Mk 10 WM669, 25 Squadron RAF: delivered 27/2/1952. Written off 18/12/1952: The aircraft was engaged in low level night interception practice over the sea. Vampire WM669 was seen by the target aircraft to pass below and behind it, while flying on a parallel heading. Vampire WM669 was then seen to turn and fly behind the target aircraft. However, after this, nothing was seen or heard from Vampire WM669, and the aircraft flew into the English Channel, six miles South-East of Dungeneness, Kent. Both crew were killed

Crew of Vmpire WM669:
Flight Lieutenant Cecil Cornelius SMITH (pilot) RAF - killed in service 18/12/1952
Flying Officer (4039379) James McNichol ADAMS (navigator) RAF - killed in service 18/12/1952

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.129 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.257
3. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant, Lee Howard, Mick Burrows, Air Britain, 2004 p.23)
4. 25 Squadron ORB (Operational Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/1/1951 to 30/11/1955: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2604/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8423845
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WM
6. http://www.25squadron.org.uk/VampireYears.htm
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH113%20prodn%20list.txt

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
05-Apr-2021 20:53	Dr. John Smith	Added
05-Apr-2021 20:53	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
06-Apr-2021 16:55	Sycak	Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator]