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Date: | Wednesday 16 December 1953 |
Time: | 14:05 LT |
Type: | de Havilland DH.115 Vampire T Mk 55 |
Owner/operator: | De Havilland Aircraft |
Registration: | Iraqi AF 334 |
MSN: | 15344 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | Ty'n Rhyn Farm, near Nercwys, Flintshire -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | Initial climb |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | Hawarden, Chester (EGNR) |
Destination airport: | Hatfield Aerodrome, Hatfield, Hertfordshire (EGTH) |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Crashed shortly after take off on delivery flight, Ty'n Rhyn Farm, near Nercwys, Flintshire 16-12-1953: Aircraft was a DH Vampire T.55 "334" of the Iraqi Air Force (Call sign "Tibet 35"). Civilian test pilot Michael Hills-Johns (the sole person on board) did not eject (ejector seats were not fitted), and was killed. The aircraft exploded in flames on impact, as the fuel tanks were full, preparatory to a long ferry flight (Chester-Hatfield-Baghdad)
Note that one of the official files on this incident at the National Archives at Kew (AVIA 5/32/S2669) spells the crash location as "Nerquis, Iraq" [sic]! "Nerquis" is the anglicised spelling of the Welsh place name "Nercwys", and is nowhere near "Iraq" (although that was the intended destination).
Sources:
1. Final Descent: Air Crashes in Wales and the Borders By Terence Hill p.84-88
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/188:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424309 3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/32/S2669:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578515 4.
http://iraqimilitary.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21 5.
http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt 6.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nercwys 7.
https://ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh115.pdf Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
22-May-2009 12:58 |
XLerate |
Added |
09-Dec-2013 16:41 |
TB |
Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
15-May-2017 16:03 |
Dr.John Smith |
Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
06-Jan-2020 23:36 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
06-Jan-2020 23:50 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Source] |
07-Jan-2020 19:30 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Cn, Source] |
10-Jan-2020 22:15 |
stehlik49 |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
07-Dec-2020 18:10 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |