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Date: | Saturday 10 July 1954 |
Time: | day |
Type: | de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 5 |
Owner/operator: | 502 (Ulster) Sqn RAF |
Registration: | WA292 |
MSN: | EEP/42... |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | 1 mile WSW of Kirkistown, County Down, Northern Ireland -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Aldergrove, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Destination airport: | |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:DH Vampire WA292: Delivered 9/1/51. Operational RAF service was with 502 (Ulster) Squadron, RAF only coded "V9-D".
Written off (damaged beyond repair) 10/7/54: Engine failed after blade failure, hit wall in forced landing, one mile West-South-West of Kirkistown, Co. Down.
Crew:
F/O (2600930) John Patrick Victor GRACEY (pilot) RAF - survived with minor injuries
According to the following extract from his obituary:
"Following training in the Queen’s University Air Squadron, 1946 - 1950, he volunteered for the Royal Auxiliary Air Force 502 Squadron, Aldergrove, Co.Antrim in 1950, flying initially Spitfires for less than a year until the squadron was issued the single seater De Havilland Vampire jet fighter (a twin-tailed aircraft). He was a proud fighter pilot and was lucky to survive a live firing incident on 10th July 1954. As reported in the local press, The Times and The News of the World - “an exceptionally clever forced landing by Flying Officer J.P.V. Gracey of 502 (Ulster) Squadron.” After 1954 he was transferred to a squadron at Manchester, where he served until his resignation from the service in 1956"
Note that the pilots rank is often quoted as "Pilot Officer". However he was promoted from Pilot Officer to Flying Officer with effect from 1/10/52.
Sources:
1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.160 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985 p.8)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.71
4.
http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WA 5.
http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt 6.
http://www.aviationbanter.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=70614&d=1412860442 7.
https://www.bsf.org.uk/blog/news/48-john-gracey-1029-2012 8.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/39686/supplement/5809/data.pdf 9.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkistown_Castle Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
28-May-2008 15:19 |
JINX |
Added |
08-Jun-2008 14:40 |
JINX |
Updated |
14-Jun-2013 18:42 |
Nepa |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
15-Apr-2020 01:43 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
30-May-2023 09:18 |
Nepa |
Updated [[Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]] |