During the afternoon of 17th October 1950 around five Vampires of No.203 Advanced Flying School, based at Driffield, undertook a formation flying training exercise around the general area over East Yorkshire. The pilots of the five aircraft contained one flying instructor and four pupil pilots. The exercise appears to have been drawing to a close and the five Vampires were flying in the circuit of Driffield airfield when two of the Vampires, VF270 and VF308, collided over Kirkburn village. The pilots were intending on making an approach to land and the formation leader / flying instructor (in VF270) gave the order to break formation. The leader then made a climbing turn to port. The aircraft flying a No.2 in the formation (VF308) then appears to have overtaken the lead aircraft (VF270) but the lead then struck it from below. Both aircraft fell to earth at Kirkburn. VF308 crashed into a grass field around a quarter of a mile south of Kirkburn, on the Southburn side of the village also killing the pilot.
Vampire VF270 crashed into the village churchyard and the pilot also lost his life.
VF308 Pilot - P/O Iain Main Crawford RAF (3123698), aged 22. Buried Rutherglen Cemetery, Glasgow.