During the morning of Friday, 6th April 1956 the pilot of this No.4 Flying Training School aircraft, alongside two other pilots, carried out a formation flying exercise after taking off from Middleton St.George at 08.50. With the exercise complete the three aircraft returned to the landing circuit of the airfield and the first two landed. Vampire WA104 was seen to fly toward the control tower at Middleton St.George airfield at around 400 feet above the ground and with the port undercarriage leg fully down, the starboard undercarriage leg retracted and the nose wheel partially down. Smoke or vapour was also seen coming from the aircraft. A short time later the pilot having turned around made another low pass over the airfield with the undercarriage legs in the same position but with more coming from the aircraft. The aircraft was then seen to climb to 2500 feet and stall, there was then a flash and two burning objects fell off the aircraft. It was then seen to roll and dived steeply into the ground at 09.35hrs at Highfield Farm, Low Worsall. The pilot had attempted to bale out from the aircraft before it crashed but was too low for his chute to open and was killed.
An AIB investigation found that leaking hydraulic fluid in the gun bay had caused the fire, probably leaking from the undercarriage mechanism when it was selected for landing. The fluid had then run inside the aircraft from the gun bay to the engine which then ignited it and caused an intense fire. The investigators were very damning stating "the comparitive standard of fire detection and prevention in the Mk.5 Vampire leaves much to be desired. In 1949 this Branch.. drew attention to various design inadequacies in the Vampire considered to be fire hazards.... re-issued in 1953." Yet six years later no remedial action had taken place. After the crash of Vampire WA104 and some subsequent ones the manufacturer finally reviewed the fire hazard in the Vampire type. A little too late for this young man and his family.
Pilot - P/O Kenneth Charles Stuart Dight RAF (4158229), aged 19. Buried West Cemetery, Darlington, Durham.
Kenneth Dight's grave at Darlington.