Date:	Sunday 29 May 1955
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 5
Owner/operator:	501 (County of Gloucester) Sqn RAF
Registration:	VZ121
MSN:	EEP/42...
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Filton, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Filton, Gloucestershire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.Mk.5 VZ121: Delivered 30/8/49. RAF Service career was with 6 Squadron, 32 Squadron, 229 OCU, and 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron, RAF respectively

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 29/5/55: The aircraft lost power during the take off run, and sank back onto the runway from a low altitude at RAF Filton, Bristol, Gloucestershire. Upon touchdown, the brakes failed, and the aircraft was severely damaged when it veered off the runway. The aircraft was deemed "damaged beyond economic repair" and struck of charge as Cat.5(c) the same day.

The pilot - Pilot Officer J. L. T. WILLIAMS (Service Number 2608571) - escaped the incident unharmed. His service continued until he retired on 18/12/63, having been promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.171 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 101)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.137
4. Wings Over Somerset: Aircraft Crashes since the End of World War II By Peter Forrester
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VZ
6. VZ121 at El Adem, Libya in 1952: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1523503
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt
8. https://www.aviation-links.co.uk/Gloucestershire%20Aircraft%20Accidents.pdf
9. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/40614/supplement/5984/data.pdf
10. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/43198/supplement/10644/data.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-May-2020 18:10	Dr. John Smith	Added
21-May-2020 20:23	MIG29	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Operator]