Date:	Thursday 12 August 1954
Time:	15:00 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 5
Owner/operator:	9 FTS RAF
Registration:	VV464
MSN:	EEP/42...
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	West Quantoxhead, 2.5 miles from Williton, Somerset -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Merryfield, Ilminster, Somerset
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.Mk.5 VV464: Delivered 28/10/48. RAF Service was with APS (Armament Practice Station) Sylt, Germany, 208 AFS, 10 FTS and lastly with 9 FTS ar RAF Merryfield.

Written off (destroyed) 12/8/54 when crashed at West Quantoxhead, Somerset: Whilst a flight of DH Vampire from 9 FTS were formation flying over RNAS Yeovilton, the pilot of VV464 lost contact with the rest of the formation. The formation leder instructed the pilot of VV464 to rejoin the flight, but despite being given several courses at different times to rejoin the formation over RAF Merryfield, he failed to do so.

The missing aircraft was found to have crashed at West Quantoxhead, 2.5 miles from Williton, Somerset, cutting a swathe through a plantation of young trees, and finally exploding on impact with the ground. The crash site was 700 feet AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level).

At the inquest into the death of the pilot, which was held at RAF Merryfield, witnesses stated that the pilot (Pilot Officer Trevor John Prendergast) was flying below a cumulonimbus cloud, which was at altitude of around 150 feet. It was also raining at the time, which meant that visibility was almost nil.

A Flight Lieutenant gave evidence to the inquest that the pilot had been on a jet conversion course at RAF Merryfield for sixteen weeks, with another two weeks further training in order to complete the course. The pilot was described as "of average ability", who had completed 36 and a half hour dual control flying, and 24 hours ten minutes solo flying.

Squadron Leader Frederick Babcock said he was in the control tower at RAF Merryfield at the time, and estimated the time of the crash to be around 3:00 pm. The crash aircraft had been located from the air by other aircraft.

The Coroner recorded at verdict of "Accidental Death" on the pilot.

Crew of Vampire VV464:
Pilot Officer Trevor John Prendergast RAF (Service Number 4112530, pilot, aged 19) - killed on active service 12/8/54. Buried at Highfield Cemetery, Chorley, Lancashire

1. Western Gazette - 20 August 1954
2. Chard and Ilminster News - 21 August 1954
3. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.161 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
4. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985 p.90)
5. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.81
6. Wings Over Somerset: Aircraft Crashes since the End of World War II By Peter Forrester
7. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VV
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Quantoxhead

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Apr-2020 18:42	Dr. John Smith	Added
19-Apr-2020 08:20	Investig	Updated [Operator, Operator]