Two Historic de Havilland Vampire destroyed in a hangar fire at Paris-Villaroche Airport – LFPM – France. Two de Havilland Vampire were struck by a hangar fire. One airplane was completely destroyed, another was substantially damaged.
A pair of Vampire jets were destroyed at Villaroche Airport in France this morning when their hangar
caught fire. A fire broke out in a shed of about 500 m² on the Melun-Villaroche aerodrome.
No injuries were reported in the blaze, which broke out at around 07:00 local time
Fire crews comprising more than 60 personnel and 25 vehicles quickly put out the fire. They successfully managed to stop the fire to spread to the adjacent warehouse and extract several gas cylinders, two aircraft, and a vehicle from it.
The two Vampire jets were part of Christian Amara’s private collection of vintage aircraft, based at Villaroche. One of
the jets were completely destroyed, the other badly damaged.
The airfield hosted the inaugural Villaroche Air Legends show in September
The two Vampires participated in the flying display, along with other aircraft from Mr. Amara’s collection.
A preliminary report has indicated that the fire was accidental.
“It is certainly irretrievable,” says Didier Chable, president of the Association of Pilot Mechanics of old aircraft (AMPAA) and vice president of the Museum of aviation in Paris-Villaroche.
Equipped with a twin-girder rear fuselage, the de Havilland Vampire is a jet plane built in the United Kingdom in the 1950s.
“Its cost is estimated between 20,000 and 30,000 euros. There are about ten left in Europe, “adds Didier Chable.
At the beginning of September, the Paris-Villaroche airfield hosted the first edition of the Air Legend airshow, which brought together some 60 exceptional aircraft that had all taken to the air during the Second World War. Among this historic squadron were the eight aircraft of Christian Amara, who also owns the Flying Warbirds squadron.
