Date:	Saturday 2 May 1953
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.112 Venom FB Mk 1
Owner/operator:	5 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WE271
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Wunstorf, 6 km SSW of Neustadt am Rübenberge, Lower Saxony -   Germany
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Wunstorf, Germany (ETNW)
Destination airport:	RAF Wunstorf, Germany (ETNW)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.112 Venom FB.Mk.1 WE271, 5 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) 2/5/53. The aircraft was seen approaching the airfield with flames coming from the starboard side of the engine cowlings. It was flying at high speed with the undercarriage raised, and the flaps and dive brakes retracted. the pilot intended to make an emergency landing on the "crash strip" at the side of the runway at RAF Wunstorf, 6 km south-southwest of Neustadt am Rübenberge, Lower Saxony, Germany.

However, at 100 feet agl, the aircraft entered a shallow dive, struck the ground, and caught fire. The fire was caused by a fuel leak from the No.1 starboard wing fuel tank, and ignition of the fuel resulted from a melted jet tailpipe drain plug, which had been inserted into the engine jet pipe at the time of the aircraft's manufacture.

According to an eyewitness report in the RAFA Letchworth newsletter (see link #7)

"One experience associated with this will always remain poignantly with me. Repaired Venom WE318 had been returned to the squadron, and we took it in turns to fly it. On this day, 2nd May 1953, I was programmed to fly the second sortie on this aircraft.

As I waited in the crew room, chatting with fellow pilots, we were told that another repaired Venom (WE271) had been returned to the squadron and was available to fly. I was offered this aircraft but suggested I waited for the one I was programmed to fly (WE318) as it was about to land anyway. Accordingly 'Gregg' Gregory went out to fly WE271 and I took off about 20 minutes after him.

Returning to base after my exercises I noticed an aircraft in the distance with what appeared to be a small condensation trail behind it. I looked more closely for the aircraft was far too low to produce trails. I immediately headed for this aircraft with the thought that it must be Greg, for few other Venoms were able to fly.

As I approached it became clear that the trail was smoke coming from a small fire barely visible within the aircraft's engine area (starboard upper wing root). I had tried to call Greg, but with no radio response I joined him in close formation and signalled urgently to him. He responded by nodding his head and giving the thumbs up suggesting that he had understood. He then pointed to the airfield just below to show he was planning to land as quickly as possible.

Updates were relayed to ATC, who alerted fire crews and emergency services. Meanwhile I stayed with Greg all the way down the runway, but the fire gradually growing in intensity. Greg almost made a successful wheels up landing but at about 15 feet from the ground his aircraft suddenly pitched downwards and the whole thing tumbled along the ground breaking up in flaming bits. Presumably the elevator cables had burned through at this critical time as he was about to, or in the flare for touchdown.

It was a tough experience to witness and I wonder to this day if I had done enough to help him. However in reality only a short time passed between first seeing Greg's aircraft and touchdown but strangely, in these situations every seconds seems to stretch out much longer than normal.

The Venoms were designed around the Vampire but the new Ghost engine proved to be a tight fit in an engine bay designed around the Goblin. It was not unusual to experience an unwanted engine to airframe touch point. This was recognised by a certain type of vibration which varied in intensity or pitch with changes in 'g' force applied. Each case was then investigated and rectified by our ground engineers. In Greg's case the fire had resulted from a split fuel pipe rather than an engine to airframe touch point.

These early Venoms had no ejection seats and the option of jumping out was not as simple as the expression appears to offer and the aircraft was then getting low. Once again a customary spontaneous gathering in the Officers' Mess bar took place to celebrate Greg's life and his untimely parting from us. It fell to me to gather his belongings to send home and also meet his family at the funeral. More than just a fellow pilot, each of us had lost a good friend."

Pilot of Venom FB.1 WE271
Flying Officer Edgeworth Frank Winter "Greg" Gregory, RAF (pilot, Service Number 582982, aged 23) - killed on active service 2/5/53.

De Havilland Venom FB.1 WE271 was built by DH at Broughton, Chester, and was delivered to the RAF exactly ten months to the day before it crashed - delivered on 2/7/52.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.144 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 363
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 32)
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/149: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424270
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/32/S2630: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578476
6. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WE
7. http://www.rafa-letchworth.org.uk/RAFAGEN%202018%20Autumn.pdf
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH112%20prodn%20list.txt

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Jun-2008 08:35	JINX	Added
18-Jun-2008 10:45	JINX	Updated
28-May-2015 14:56	T.T.Taylor	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
03-Jan-2020 23:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
03-Jan-2020 23:45	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
04-Jan-2020 16:54	stehlik49	Updated [Operator, Operator]