Date:	Wednesday 31 July 1957
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 5
Owner/operator:	3/4 CAACU RAF
Registration:	WA240
MSN:	EEP/42...
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Exeter, Devon, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Exeter, Devon (EXT/EGTE)
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 5 WA240: Delivered 16/10/1950. Operational Service career was with 60 Squadron, RAF Tengah, Singapore (from 4/12/1950) 71 Squadron, 16 Squadron, 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, RAF Turnhouse, Edinburgh (until 31/3/1957) and 3/4 CAACU (Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit) RAF Exeter coded "30". The post-accident photograph below (see link #5) shows that WA240 retained its 603 Squadron markings until its demise.

Written off (destroyed) 31/7/1957: Failed to become airborne from RAF Exeter, Devon when the pilot raised the nose too early. Take off was abandoned but the aircraft overran the runway, ran through two fences and caught fire after both drop tanks detached, starting a fuel leak

Wreckage recovered by (and to) 49 MU RAF Colerne, Wiltshire, where Struck off charge as Cat.5(c) 4/11/1957

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.182 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 90)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.210
4. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1957.htm
5. Photo of accident 1/8/1957: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1338293
6. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WA
7. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1950-1959_26.html
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Mar-2008 00:26	JINX	Added
19-Jun-2008 04:44	JINX	Updated
18-May-2015 18:16	MiG21	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source]
08-Aug-2020 20:13	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
08-Aug-2020 20:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Source]
09-Aug-2020 17:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative]
10-Aug-2020 07:40	MIG21	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Nature, Operator]