Date:	Monday 26 February 1951
Time:	night
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk X
Owner/operator:	201 AFS RAF
Registration:	NB118
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Stapleford, near RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Vickers Wellington Mk.X NB118 of 201 AFS, RAF. Written off (destroyed) 26.02.1951 when crashed at Stapleford, North Kesteven, near RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire (at approximate co ordinates 53.109119°N 0.683137°W). The crew was performing a local training sortie at RAF Swinderby.

On final approach, the pilot in command decided to abandon the landing and attempted a go around. The aircraft climbed to a height of 250 feet when it stalled and crashed in a huge explosion near the runway end. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all three crew members were killed.

Crew of Wellington NB118
Flight Sergeant John Howden RUNCIMAN, RAF (Instructor Pilot, aged 41)
Pilot Officer Gerald COPPING, RAF (Student pilot, aged 22)
Pilot Officer Dennis George Franklin HURST, RAF (Navigator, Service Number 579858)

Causes: It is believed that the climb speed was too low, causing the aircraft to stall while completing a go around procedure

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.111 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.118
3. 201 AFS ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1951-1954: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/2143/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7162855
4. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1950s-incident-logs#1951
5. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-vickers-619-wellington-x-raf-swinderby-3-killed-2
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stapleford,_Lincolnshire
7. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/39055/supplement/5427/data.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
21-Apr-2017 23:59	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
23-Oct-2018 21:01	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
13-Jan-2021 15:05	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative]
13-Jan-2021 20:11	Gerard76	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]