Date:	Thursday 20 May 1954
Time:	day
Type:	Auster AOP.6
Owner/operator:	Turnhouse CF RAF
Registration:	VF640
MSN:	2841
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	1/2 mile south of RAF Leuchars, Fife, Scotland -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Turnhouse, East Lothian
Destination airport:	RAF Leuchars, Fife
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Auster AOP.6 VF640: Delivered in July 1946. Known RAF service was with CFE (Central Fighter Establishment), and then with the Station Flight of RAF Leuchars, Central Sector Station Flight, and Communications Flight of RAF Turnhouse

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 20/5/1954 when dived into the ground on approach, half-a-mile south of RAF Leuchars, Fife. While approaching to land at RAF Leuchars, the aircraft was seen to roll over and dive into the ground. It is possible that the pilot misjudged the effects of reducing power, and then selecting "take off" flap settings when the aircraft was heavily loaded with three crew aboard. All three crew were killed
Crew of Auster VF640:
F/Lt (195972) Peter Podmore Barker (Pilot) RAF : Killed
F/Lt (190364) Patrick Edwin Jackson (Navigator/IO) RAF : killed
F/Lt (500496) Anthony John Baynes Mansell (RAF Regiment Adjutant) RAF : killed

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.158 ISBN 0-85130-290-4
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 64)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.58
4. http://austerhg.org/prod_list/pages.php?page=2729
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VF

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-May-2008 11:10	ASN archive	Added
11-Feb-2013 15:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
06-May-2013 14:52	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location]
05-Nov-2019 22:50	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Operator]
10-Apr-2020 20:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
10-Jul-2023 10:14	Nepa	Updated [[Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]]