Date:	Friday 11 June 1948
Time:	16:47
Type:	de Havilland DH.100 Vampire F Mk 3
Owner/operator:	CE&PE RCAF
Registration:	17037
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RCAF Rockcliffe, Ontario -   Canada
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RCAF Rockcliffe, Ontario
Destination airport:	RCAF Rockcliffe, ON

Narrative:
Vampire 17037 ex-VP726: The aircraft was written off on 11 Jun 1948 while the pilot was practicing an aerobatic routine for the upcoming Air Force Day. F/O Hodgins pilot with the RCAF's Central Experimental and Proving Establishment was killed. He was in the process of carrying out a climbing roll following a high-speed pass and as the aircraft approached the inverted position, the nose of the aircraft suddenly dropped and went into a series of flick rolls which developed into a spin. There did not appear to be any attempt to recover and the aircraft was still spinning when it struck the ground near the end of the runway and burst into flames. The investigation subsequently revealed that the pilot had fallen out his seat harness while performing aerobatics at low level.
Crew:
F/O (C/426388) Rooney Alexander Hodgins DFC (pilot) RCAF : killed

Witness of the event L. E. Baney
Saskatoon Star Phoenix 17 June 1948, p17
The Winnipeg Evening Tribune 12 June 1948, p4
History of the DeHavilland Vampire, David Watkins
Canadian Military Aircraft, Serials & Photographs, 1920-1968 (p424)
https://443squadron.wordpress.com/category/rooney-hodgins/
http://www.rwrwalker.ca/RCAF_Vampire_III.html
https://legionmagazine.com/en/2010/04/the-problems-with-vampires-air-force-part-38/

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
16-Jan-2018 19:36	TB	Added
03-Feb-2018 18:05	TB	Updated [Date, Source, Narrative]
08-Jan-2020 21:06	stehlik49	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
12-Apr-2020 09:51	Anon.	Updated [Narrative]
18-Feb-2021 08:36	Cosmo	Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
10-Mar-2021 09:52	Castle	Updated [Location, Operator]
02-Jul-2024 21:50	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Operator]
04-Jul-2024 22:16	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]