Date:	Thursday 15 October 1959
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.115 Vampire T Mk 11
Owner/operator:	5 FTS RAF
Registration:	XE897
MSN:	15091
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Meadow Farm, near Elsworth, Cambridgeshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport:	RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire
Destination airport:	RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Two De Havilland DH.115 Vampire T.Mk.11s of 5 FTS, RAF were destroyed in a mid air collision on 15/10/59. WZ495 collided with XE897 during a change of formation as part of a display practice. WZ495 dived inverted into the ground at Meadow Farm, Elsworth, Cambridgeshire, five miles from RAF Oakington, killing the pilot Flight Sergeant H W Gibson AFM. According to a contemporary newspaper report ("Cambridge Daily News" 15 October 1959)

"A Vampire jet trainer aircraft which was formation flying with three others ploughed through electricity cables before crashing on its back in a field at Meadow Farm near Elsworth. Thousands of gallons of foam were poured on the wreckage by members of the Oakington RAF Station Fire Brigade and spectators were told to keep well clear as one of the ejector seats in the aircraft had not gone off and bare electricity cables were smouldering and sparking in the stubble"

The other aircraft (XE897) flown by Flight Sergeant R G Gregory was able to return to base and subsequently struck off charge as damaged beyond repair.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.200 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft XA100-XZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 25)
3. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WK
4. http://www.ldhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Oakington-Scrapbook-1897-to-1990.pdf
5. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1959.htm
6. http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/dh115.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Mar-2013 12:07	Dr. John Smith	Added
06-Mar-2013 12:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type]
01-Apr-2015 15:24	TB	Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
10-Jan-2020 19:05	stehlik49	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Destination airport, Operator]
25-Jan-2020 20:55	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
25-Jan-2020 21:02	stehlik49	Updated [Operator, Operator]