Date:	Wednesday 7 November 1951
Time:	08:50
Type:	de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 5
Owner/operator:	202 AFS RAF
Registration:	WA305
MSN:	EEP/42...
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Ruabon Mountain, Denbighshire, Wales -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales (VLY/EGOV)
Destination airport:	RAF Valley, Wales (VLY/EGOV)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Vampire WA305 : delivered 1/2/1951. Written off (destroyed) 7/11/1951 when flew into high ground in cloud. The pilot was killed.

The pilot took off from RAF Valley on a familiarisation flight, and maintained contact with base throughout. The pilot then asked for a true heading in order to return to base. Nothing more was heard from him. It was later discovered that the aircraft had crashed into high ground above Ruabon, Denbighshire.
Crew:
Flight Sergeant John COBB (pilot) RAF - survived crash but died later in hospital from injuries sustained

The RAF VALLEY Rescue Log Book for the period 2.7.51 to 27.7.53 has a report from Air Traffic Control at Preston to RAF Valley at 08:50 hours on 8.11.51 "aircraft missing - Vampire".

The subsequent RAF Board of Inquiry into the incident concluded that the pilot had lost radio contact with RAF Valley, and had decided to let down for an approach to base through the clouds, while believing he was flying over Conway Bay, when, in fact, he was over the mountains of North Wales near Wrexham.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.121 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 Colin Cummings p 192
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain 1983)
4. 202 AFS ORB (Operational Record Boook)(Air Mininstry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/3/1951 to 31/5/1954: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/2144 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101854
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WA
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt
7. https://minerahistory.proboards.com/thread/1170?page=4
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruabon_Moors .

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
28-May-2008 15:31	JINX	Added
12-Apr-2009 08:55	Anon.	Updated
16-May-2015 17:20	Xindel	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport]
09-Jan-2020 12:25	stehlik49	Updated [Aircraft type, Nature, Operator]
13-Feb-2021 18:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
13-Feb-2021 18:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
13-Feb-2021 18:53	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
13-Feb-2021 21:01	Xindel	Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Narrative, Operator]
14-Feb-2021 00:19	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
01-Mar-2021 01:31	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]