Date:	Tuesday 24 July 1956
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.112 Venom FB Mk 1
Owner/operator:	45 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WE373
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Bidan Island, 2.5 miles NW of Yen, Kedah State (Malaya) -   Malaysia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Butterworth, Malaya
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.112 Venom FB.Mk.1 WE373, 45 Squadron RAF: Written off 24/7/56 - Broke up in the air and dived into the sea off Yen Kedah, Malaya killing the pilot. According to "Eastward", the newsletter of the RAF Butterworth/Penang Association:

"24 July 1956: Venom FB1 WE373 of 45 Squadron, RAF Butterworth. Flying at two and a half miles North West of Yen, Kedah State, Malaya, the aircraft was flown across the (firing) range at a height of about 50 feet and then climbed steeply to about 4000 feet during which it was seen to be pitching quite considerably and also dropping items of structure.

The pilot called to report that he had lost control and the aircraft dived into the sea about 1500 yards off the coast of Bidan Island. Flying Officer Frederick William Thomas Hobson was killed in the accident."

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.181 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 32)
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/348: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424469
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/35/S2829: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578609
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WE
6. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1950-1959_26.html
7. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1956.htm
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH112%20prodn%20list.txt
9. http://www.raf-butterworth-penang-association.org.uk/newsletter/backnumbers/Issue_23_Spring_2009.pdf
10. http://www.raf-butterworth-penang-association.org.uk/newsletter/backnumbers/Issue_24_Summer__2009.pdf
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidan_Island

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Jun-2008 09:40	JINX	Added
18-Jun-2008 01:09	JINX	Updated
18-Jan-2012 04:34	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source]
22-Jan-2020 17:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
22-Jan-2020 23:00	stehlik49	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator]