Date:	Sunday 11 September 1949
Time:
Type:	Grunau Baby 2
Owner/operator:	2 GS ATC RAF
Registration:	VT918
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Grangemouth, 3 miles NE of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Destination airport:	RAF Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Narrative:
Grunau Baby 2 VT918, 2 GS (Gliding School), ATC (Air Training Corps), RAF: Delivered 9-10-1947. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 11-9-1949 when crashed at RAF Grangemouth, 3 miles NE of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland

On final approach, the aircraft was turned steeply into wind, on its final turn, but stalled from an altitude of 20 feet, diving vertically into the ground. The pilot, Mr. W B Gardener an Air Training Corps Civilian Instructor was injured.

The pilot had been instructed to begin his approach from a minimum altitude of 200 feet, but had only managed to climb to 400 feet from the initial winch launch. Nevertheless, he made a 360-degree turn onto the downwind leg for approach, which left him with insufficient altitude to complete a safe landing

Sent to Slingsby's a Kirkbymoorside, Thirsk, North Yorkshire 21-10-1949 for rebuild. Rebuild not proceeded with, and instead Struck Off Charge 24-11-1949 as Cat,5(s) and scrapped at Slingsby's in early 1950

After the war, RAF Grangemouth was used as a gliding school (the aforementioned 2 GS) and by No. 13 Refresher Flying School RAF, then by RAF Maintenance Command until closure in 1955. Unfortunately, at 02:00 one Sunday in 1952 a fire started & some of the buildings were destroyed.

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.533
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VT
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schneider_Grunau_Baby
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Grangemouth#Post_war

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Oct-2023 17:00	Nepa	Updated