Date:	Tuesday 15 February 1949
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland Vampire F Mk 3
Owner/operator:	72 Sqn RAF
Registration:	VT865
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Winchfield, Hampshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Odiham, Hampshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
DeHavilland Vampire F.3 VT865. 72 Squadron RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 15 February 1949 when crashed at Winchfield, Hampshire. Pilot killed

The aircraft made a low-level high-speed run across the airfield at RAF Odiham, near Basingstoke, Hampshire, and then made a steep climbing roll, entering low cloud at 700 feet agl. The pilot then lost control of the aircraft in the low cloud, and made a very tight turn, resulting in a high-speed stall, with no available altitude in which to recover.
Crew of Vampire VT865
Pilot II John Alwyn DAVIES (pilot) RAF - killed in active service 15-2-49

Winchfield is a small village in the Hart District of Hampshire in the South-East of England. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south-west of Hartley Wintney, 8 miles (13 km) east of Basingstoke, 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of Odiham and 38 miles (61 km) west of London.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.86. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.476
3. 72 Squadron ORB for the period 1-1-1949 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2430/3: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8420258
4. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=vt
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._72_Squadron_RAF#Post-War_jets
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchfield
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Odiham#Postwar

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Apr-2023 12:55	Dr. John Smith	Added