Date:	Tuesday 24 September 1957
Time:	morning
Type:	De Havilland DH.112 Venom FB Mk 4
Owner/operator:	11 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WR426
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Arnöje, Zealand Region Sjælland -   Denmark
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Wunstorf, Germany (ETNW)
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
DeHavilland DH.112 Venom FR.4 WR426, 11 Squadron, RAF Wunsdorf. Written off (destroyed) 24 September 1957 when crashed into a field near Arnöje, Zealand Region Sjælland, Denmark (at approximate coordinates 55°18'57.6"N, 12°17'29.2"E) on the final day of NATO manoeuvre "Exercise Brown Jug". Pilot killed

The aircraft took off from RAF Wunsdorf, Lower Saxony, West Germany as the number two in a pair, for a simulated rocket and cannon attack on troop concentrations. The aircraft was next seen to turn at around 1,000 feet, and at this point, all seemed normal, but then the aircraft yawed sharply downwards to port twice, and then to make three revolutions in a roll before striking the ground near Arnöje, Denmark. The cause of the accident was never conclusively established, but could have been due to a loose article jamming the elevator control circuit, or a high speed stall from a steep turn.

Crew of Venom WR426:
Flying Officer Eric Michael Rautenbech (pilot, Service Number 503146, South African national, aged 26) - killed on active service 24/9/1957. Buried at Seelhorst Cemetery, Hanover, Germany

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.191 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 2001 p 29)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.266
4. Venom: De Havilland Venom and Sea Venom: The Complete History By David Watkins
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/37/S2896: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578676
6. http://archiviostorico.unita.it/cgi-bin/highlightPdf.cgi?t=ebook&file=/archivio/uni_1957_09/19570925_0008.pdf
7. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1957.htm
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH112%20prodn%20list.txt
9. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WR
10. http://www.southafricawargraves.org/search/details.php?id=32644
11. http://denmark.places-in-the-world.com/2624615-place-arnoje.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Jun-2013 16:23	Uli Elch	Added
15-Jul-2014 14:57	TB	Updated [Date, Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
15-Jul-2014 14:57	TB	Updated [Narrative]
07-Dec-2020 01:13	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
07-Dec-2020 15:35	Fanda	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative, Operator]
07-Dec-2020 17:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Location, Source, Narrative]