Date:	Wednesday 1 April 1953
Time:	10:15 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 5
Owner/operator:	112 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WA233
MSN:	EEP/42...
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Odiham, Basingstoke, Hampshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Odiham, Basingstoke, Hampshire (ODH/EGVO)
Destination airport:	RAF Odiham, Basingstoke, Hampshire (ODH/EGVO)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Written off (damaged beyond repair) 1/4/53 when caught fire in flight, and aircraft belly-landed at RAF Odiham, Hampshire

There is some doubt as to the ownership of the aircraft at the time. The aircraft had earlier suffered a heavy landing accident on Sun 27/7/52 whilst flown by P/O Elsden and been repaired at Marshalls at Teversham, Cambridge. At the time of the crash WA233 was still in the markings of 112 Squadron, RAF, coded 'T-D', but there is no record of it being returned to 112 Squadron after its crash on 27/7/52. It is possible that WA233 had been transferred to 20 Squadron, RAF after completion of repairs. According to one published account of the incident (see link #5):

"1 April 1953. Flight Lieutenant B.R.A. Cox, an experienced pilot with 1,170 hours logged in the air, had been detailed to fly Vampire FB.Mk.5 WA233 (ex-20 Squadron, 2 TAF, RAF) on an air test to see if remedial work that had been carried out on a vibration problem had been successful. He took off from RAF Odiham shortly after 10 am and climbed to 32,000 ft without incident, and then carried out runs at various altitudes down to 2,000 ft. He found that vibration still persisted, being located on the cockpit floor under his left foot. It was unaffected by engine RPM but came in at speeds of 320K and above.

Flight Lieutenant Cox was carrying out a final run at 2,000 ft and had reached 300K when the fuel pressure warning light came on. He turned for Odiham, just six miles away, and checked all his systems - the engine RPM was normal and the jet pipe temperature ditto. With three miles to base he saw and smelt smoke in the cockpit, and so opened his hood to clear it. Calling up the tower at Odiham, he requested that they have a look at his aircraft as he did a flypast. Witnesses reported flames coming from the belly, and at this moment the engine died down as the RPM gauge fluctuated. With his electrics and R/T failing, he calmly selected wheels and flaps down and decided to land in a calm, unhurried fashion...

No joy. The undercarriage stayed firmly up, and so Flight Lieutenant Cox made a perfect belly landing on the grass at the side of the runway. Unhooking himself with what I can imagine would be a bit of haste, he exited the Vampire and made his way clear of what would, in other circumstances, have been his funeral pyre. Lucky, lucky man! The fire crew arrived on the scene within seconds but were unable to prevent WA233 burning out as their foam tender stubbornly refused to work and they were confined to the use of CO2 only."

Pilot:(Possibly from the resident 54 Squadron) - Flight Lieutenant B.R.A. Cox, RAF aged 26 - bailed out OK.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.78. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 p 37 by Colin Cummings
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT220/10: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4241311.
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/32/S2626: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578472
5. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?PHPSESSID=icb54161khi6hqdiej4qur8sc7&topic=5528.0
6. http://www.rafjever.org/112squadaircraft.htm
7. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WA
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt
9. http://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/hancrash.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Mar-2008 00:17	JINX	Added
08-Jun-2008 14:31	JINX	Updated
04-Mar-2013 16:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
13-Aug-2013 16:01	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location]
23-Dec-2019 21:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
16-Feb-2020 00:19	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]