Date:	Thursday 25 October 1962
Time:	day
Type:	English Electric Canberra B Mk 2
Owner/operator:	Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS)
Registration:	WJ730
MSN:	71249
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Farnborough Airfield, Farnborough, Hampshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Farnborough airfield, Farnborough, Hampshire (EGLF)
Destination airport:	Farnborough airfield, Hampshire (EGLF)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Canberra WJ730 ["18"] ETPS (Empire Test Pilots School), RAF: Written off 25/10/1962 while flying at low altitude (800 feet) with one of the jet engines shut down the aircraft suddenly rolled, and dived inverted into the main runway at Farnborough, exploding into a ball of flames. A Board of Inquiry found no fault with the aircraft and that Flt Lt Oldham had responded appropriately when the aircraft began to stall but was too low to recover flying trim.

According to a contemporary newspaper report ("Liverpool Echo" - Thursday 25 October 1962):

"CANBERRA CRASHES: TWO KILLED
Both Men From R.A.F.
Both occupants were killed when an English Electric Canberra crashed on the airfield at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough (Hants) this afternoon. The men killed were from the R A.F. - a pilot and an observer from the Empire test pilot school, Farnborough."

Crew:
Pilot: Flight Lt 1582812 Derek Oldham AFM (aged 38) RAF killed.
Observer: Flight Lt 577045 William Ivor Douglas England (aged 39) RAF killed.

At the time of the crash, the aircraft was coded "18" with the ETPS, and fitted with a red extended nose probe.(Photographed as such 08/09/1962). WJ730 had also been seconded to Lucas Fuel Systems Ltd for research, flight tests and trials into a prototype Fuel Tank Purging system. Formally struck off charge 12/02/1963

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.146 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 12)
3. Liverpool Echo - Thursday 25 October 1962
4. http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/memorial/entry.php?id=269
5. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1114521/
6. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1962.htm
7. https://www.flickr.com/photos/151622241@N05/49257633136/in/photolist-2i3JfdQ-2cCrnnr-2bmjXjP-27aeSeL
8. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1038486/
9. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14846.0
10. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14847.0

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-Jun-2008 21:48	JINX	Added
17-Jun-2008 10:30	JINX	Updated
08-Jul-2008 10:02	JINX	Updated
08-Apr-2013 23:52	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
04-Dec-2018 09:01	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
13-Feb-2020 16:45	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative]
13-Feb-2020 16:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
15-Feb-2020 00:15	Iwosh	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator]
18-Feb-2020 20:13	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
18-Feb-2020 20:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
21-Feb-2020 14:20	Iwosh	Updated [Operator, Operator]
27-Jun-2022 11:00	Nepa	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Operator]
27-Jun-2022 12:13	Nepa	Updated [Location, Operator]