Date:	Thursday 31 May 1956
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.112 Sea Venom FAW.21
Owner/operator:	890 Sqn FAA RN
Registration:	WW224
MSN:	12746
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Mediterranean Sea off HMS Bulwark, near Malta -   Malta
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	HMS Bulwark, off Malta
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Crashed and destroyed 31/5/1956: During deck landing trials on HMS Bulwark, Sea Venom FAW.21 WW224 '355/O' of 890 NAS sustained a catapult launch failure climbed steeply after launch, the wing dropped, the aircraft turned to starboard and struck the sea inverted. Both crew - JOHNSON, Eric L, Lieutenant (pilot) and NICHOLS, Gerald M, Lieutenant (navigator) - were killed.

HMS Bulwark was in the Western Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Malta at the time of the crash, at approximate coordinates 50'16" North, 0'56" West

1. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant, Lee Howard & Mick Burrows, Air Britain, 2004 p,187)
2. Wings Over Somerset: Aircraft Crashes since the End of World War II By Peter Forrester
3. http://simviation.com//lair/casualty1956.htm
4. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1956.htm
5. http://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1956-59.htm
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH112%20prodn%20list.txt
7. https://www.bulwarkassoc.co.uk/eastleigh/ships/bulwark.htm
8. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WW .

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Mar-2013 19:54	Dr. John Smith	Added
08-May-2013 18:07	Nepa	Updated [Operator]
14-Jul-2020 20:22	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
28-Aug-2020 23:34	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Source]
28-Aug-2020 23:35	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]