Date:	Monday 6 May 1957
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk 9
Owner/operator:	RAF College Cranwell
Registration:	WR263
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	North Sea, off Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Cranwell, Sleaford, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.Mk.9 WR260: Delivered 24/10/1952. Operational service career was with 208 AFS (Advanced Flying School), and the RAF College Cranwell as "28"

Written off (destroyed) 6/5/1957: Crashed into the North Sea off Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, after the pilot ejected due to jammed controls. The pilot reported over the R/T that he was experiencing control problems (including jammed rudders) at 15,000 feet over the North Sea off Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire. He decided to head back towards the coast with the intention of baling out.

The pilot succeed in leaving the aircraft at 8,000 feet at approximate coordinates 53'17" North, 0'19.45" East.

A SAR (Search and Rescue) Helicopter was dispatched from RAF North Coates, but could not locate the pilot, and had to return to base after running low on fuel. The pilot was eventually rescued, and taken to hospital, but died shortly after rescue from exposure

Crew of Vampire WR263:
Flight Cadet Anthony Edward CLAYTON, RAF (pilot, aged 20) - killed on active service 7/5/1957

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.182 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 90)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.210
4. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1957.htm
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH100%20prodn%20list.txt
6. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1950-1959_26.html
7. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1950s-incident-logs#1957
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mablethorpe

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Aug-2020 15:35	Dr. John Smith	Added