Date:	Sunday 25 July 1954
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 5
Owner/operator:	233 OCU RAF
Registration:	VV447
MSN:	EEP/42482
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Calcott, 2 miles West of Reading, Berkshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Pembrey, Carmarthenshire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.Mk.5 VV447: Delivered 29/9/48. RAF Service was with 16 Squadron, 94 Squadron and 233 OCU.

Written off (destroyed) 25/7/54: The aircraft was being flown by Pilot Officer R.H.B. Dixon (Service number 193514) when it suffered a total instrument failure while being flown in cloud. The pilot therefore opted to bail out from the DH Vampire, and landed safely. The aircraft then dived into the ground near Calcott, 2 miles West of Reading, Berkshire

The pilot survived to have a long career in the RAF, rising to the rank of Group Captain, and formally retiring from the RAF on 24/3/77 (see link #6)

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.161 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985 p.90)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.77
4. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VV
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt
6. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/47184/supplement/4286/data.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
16-Apr-2020 21:58	Dr. John Smith	Added
17-Apr-2020 10:17	AlLach	Updated [Operator, Nature, Operator]