Date:	Wednesday 10 April 1957
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.112 Venom FB Mk 1
Owner/operator:	FWS RAF
Registration:	WE400
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Leconfield, East Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Leconfield, East Yorkshire
Destination airport:	RAF Leconfield, East Yorkshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.112 Venom FB.1 WE400: Delivered 16/9/1953. Operational service career was as "A-F" of 118 Squadron, RAF Fassberg, West Germany, from 2/10/1953. WE400 was the "personal" aircraft of Squadron Leader Mike M J Wraight, Commanding Officer of 118 Squadron in 1953-55.

Mike Wraight was not happy when someone landed wheels up in his Venom WE400 at Sylt on 18/7/1954. Mike Wraight recalls the story of the Sqn return from Sylt to Fassberg. "On 18 July the wing flew back to Fassberg. If I remember correctly, this was quite a famous return. Because the weather forecast was so bad for the 18 July most of the Squadron had gone out celebrating the last day at Sylt. Having got back rather late, in the early hours of the morning 18 July, we were all woken up and told we were returning to Fassberg regardless of the weather. After takeoff many aircraft lost their leaders in cloud only to find other aircraft once we were nearer Fassberg. The Station Commander and wives had come out to see the Wing back, only to find that we did not come back as separate Squadrons. In dispersal, some pilots literally fell out of their cockpits and, for some, the party carried on from where it had left off from Sylt. There were threats of close arrests and action against some, but the final outcome I have now forgotten. Mike and his ground crew had Simonized (wax polished) this aircraft until it was the fastest on the Squadron, and was not happy that someone else had "bent" it!

Damage assessed as Cat.3(R); aircraft returned to service in August 1954, and continued as "A-F" as 118 Squadron until withdrawn from service to 29 MU High Ercall, Shropshire, England on 7/7/1955

Next issued to service with the FWS (Fighter Weapons School), RAF Leconfield, East Yorkshire later in 1955.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 10/4/1957: Hit by a ricochet during air to ground firing over the Crowden Ranges in East Yorkshire. Returned to Leconfield safely but deemed damaged beyond economic repair" was not repaired. Struck off charge as Cat.5(c) 12/4/1957.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.188 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 33)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.241
4. 118 Squadron ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/5/1951 to 31/12/1955: File AIR 27/2643/3 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8425657
5. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1957.htm
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH112%20prodn%20list.txt
7. WE400 accident at Sylt 10/7/1954: http://www.rafjever.org/118sqnpic321.htm and http://www.rafjever.org/118sqnpic326.htm
8. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WE
9. http://www.rafjever.org/118squadaircraft.htm

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
31-Jul-2020 22:05	Dr. John Smith	Added
01-Aug-2020 11:36	MiG15	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]
03-Aug-2020 17:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]