Date:	Saturday 10 December 1949
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH 100 Vampire F.3
Owner/operator:	601 (County of London) Sqn RAF
Registration:	VV191
MSN:	EE/P/42436
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF North Weald, Essex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF North Weald, Essex
Destination airport:	RAF North Weald, Essex

Narrative:
de Havilland Vampire VV191: Delivered 2 April 1948. To 601 (County of London) Sqn RAF North Weald, Essex.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 10 December 1949. The pilot had not switched on the heaters on the pitot heads of his aircraft. As a result, the ASI (Air Speed Indicator) was reading incorrectly in the prevailing freezing weather conditions. On final approach to land at RAF North Weald, Essex, the pilot believed that the aircraft was approaching too fast (due to the misleading ASI), and he therefore raised the nose in order to shed forward speed, but, as the aircraft was actually approaching at the correct speed, the aircraft stalled and dived into the ground.

Not repaired; damage assessed as Cat.5(G/I) as Ground Instructional Airframe 6717M on 27 January 1950 and sent to No.58 MU RAF Newton, Nottinghamshire, aircraft since scrapped

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.562
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VV
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Weald_Airfield#History
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._601_Squadron_RAF#Postwar_operations

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