ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 231786
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| Date: | Wednesday 27 August 1952 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.112 Sea Venom NF.20 |
| Owner/operator: | RAE Farnborough |
| Registration: | WK376 |
| MSN: | 11202 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Windmill Hill, Deepcut, Frimley Green, near Mytchett, Surrey. -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | RAE Farnborough, Hampshire |
| RAE Farnborough, Hampshire | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
De Havilland DH.112 Sea Venom NF.20 Prototype WK376; Written off (destroyed) 27/8/52 when crashed at Windmill Hill, Deepcut, Frimley Green, near Mytchett, Surrey. Pilot - Lt A.E. Facer RN, Naval Aviation Flight RAE Test Pilot - killed
The prototype NF.20 Sea Venom, WK376 (one of three built) crashed at Windmill Hill, Deepcut, Frimley Green, near Mytchett, Surrey, on 27th August 1952, a few minutes after being launched from the catapult at The Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough. The pilot was the only occupant of the two-seater aircraft and, unfortunately, he was killed in the incident.
WK376 was being used for a series of launching trials and, on the day of the crash, it was launched from the R.A.E. catapult at successively increasing forward accelerations of 4.5g, 4.8g and 5.1g. About three minutes after the third launch the pilot called R.A.E. Flying Control and requested permission to make a fast run across the airfield, and permission was granted. A few seconds later the Sea Venom was seen to enter a dive which steepened gradually to about 45 degrees and parts of the tail unit became detached - WK376 hit the ground in a vertical bank and was destroyed.The pilot involved in this crash was: Lieutenant Alec Elliott Facer RN, HMS Daedalus
According to a contemporary newspaper report ("Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer" Thursday 28 August 1952):
"Leeds pilot killed in Jet crash.
'Plane exploded on hillside
from Yorkshire Post correspondents
A 28 year old Leeds test pilot, Alec Elliott Facer, was killed yesterday when the Royal Naval jet Venom fighter he was flying crashed and blew to pieces on a wooded hillside at Frimley Green, near Mytchett, Surrey.
Lieutenant Facer was the elder son of Mr. S. Facer managing director of a Leeds engineering firm and Mrs Facer of Newlands, Ring Road, West Park.
He was a test pilot attached to The Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough (Hants), and was flying from his base when the accident occurred. His wife, who was living with their young son at Ash Vale, Surrey, was informed of his death by The Air Ministry yesterday and his parents and younger brother have left Leeds for Farnborough.
Troops from camps near by were called in to assist police in searching the neighbouring woods for the pilot's body, but it was not recovered. Wreckage of the aircraft was flung in many directions when the fighter exploded after crashing.
'Engine Cut Out'...
Mr L. Poole of Blackdown Road, Blackdown, Surrey told The Yorkshire Post "I saw the machine go into a bank to the right and then the engine cut out. Then the machine dropped. It disappeared from my sight and then I heard a loud explosion". Thirteen year old Dawn Fisher of Mytchett Road, Mytchett who saw the 'plane dive said "I thought it was practicing for the air display at Farnborough next week".
Lieutenant Facer, who was educated at Leeds Modern School, joined the Royal Air Force during the war and after training in The United States, transferred to The Fleet Air Arm. He was in action over Korea from aircraft carrier HMS Triumph, and on his return to England went on a Test Pilots course before being transferred to Farnborough."
Note that the official Air Ministry Board of Inquiry file held at the National Archives at Kew (File BT 233/110) gives the crash location as "3 miles from Farnborough, Hants.," [sic]. The other file held at the National Archives at Kew (File AVIA 5/32/S2592) gives the crash location as "Windmill Hill near Frimley Green". The Coroner's inquest into the death of the pilot put the locations of his death as "the Old Mill House, Frimley Green, Surrey"
Sources:
1. https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/memorial/entry.php?id=221
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT 233/113: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424231
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/32/S2592: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578438
4. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=6086.0
5. https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/de-havilland----dh112-venom------sea-venom
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Sea_Venom
7. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WK
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH112%20prodn%20list.txt
9. https://www.agefotostock.es/age/es/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/MEV-10841478
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frimley_Green_Windmill
11. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=10036.0
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Dec-2019 17:42 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 17-Feb-2020 16:12 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
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