Date:	Friday 28 September 1956
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 5
Owner/operator:	7 FTS RAF
Registration:	WG845
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales (VLY/EGOV)
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.Mk.5, WG845: Delivered 6/11/51. RAF Career was with 14 Squadron, RAF Fassberg, West Germany (as the "personal" aircraft of the Squadron C.O., Squadron Leader Sutherland), 130 Squadron, RAF Germany, 5 FTS and 7 FTS [coded "23"]

Written off (destroyed) 28/9/56: The aircraft took off from RAF Valley as Number 2 of a pair in a formation take off. At an altitude of 250 feet, an orange flame was seen coming from the tailpipe, followed by a muffled bang. The pilot requested an immediate emergency landing and made a 180-degree turn to regain the approach path to the airfield.

However, the pilot realized that he would not reach the airfield and during the turn, the aircraft lost altitude rapidly. The aircraft then banked to port, the wingtip hit the ground, the aircraft cartwheeled and broke apart. The crash was the result of an engine failure cause by the impeller blades breaking up in flight. The pilot was killed

Crew of Vampire WG845
Lieutenant (Air) Arthur William Jeffrey RN (pilot, Aircraft Artificer (A.A.) 4th class, Service Number FX 670071 aged 28) - on assignment from HMS Blackcap, killed on active service 28/9/1956.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.183 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 46)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.213
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/358: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424479
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WG
6. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1950-1959_26.html
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt
8. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1956.htm
9. https://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1956-59.htm
10. http://derbosoft.proboards.com/post/61701

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
08-Jun-2008 15:34	JINX	Added
18-May-2015 18:04	MiG21	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport]
22-Jan-2020 21:03	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]
11-Jul-2020 23:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
12-Jul-2020 09:14	Yarbi	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Nature, Operator]
12-Jul-2020 20:31	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]