ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 240470
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| Date: | Tuesday 1 September 1953 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | de Havilland DH.103 Sea Hornet NF Mk 21 |
| Owner/operator: | 809 Sqn FAA RN |
| Registration: | VW959 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Reykjavík–Keflavík Airport, Keflavik -
 Iceland
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | HMS Eagle, Atlantic Ocean, off coast of Iceland |
| Reykjavík–Keflavík Airport, Keflavik, Iceland (KEH/BKIF) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
De Havilland DH.103 Sea Hornet NF.Mk.21 VW959: Completed at De Havilland Aircraft Ltd., Broughton, Chester. Notified as awaiting collection 2/6/1949. Delivered to the FAA RN (Fleet Air Arm Royal Navy) at RNAS Culham RDU same day. Not delivered for service. Retained on CS(A) MoS charge and transferred to "C" Squadron, A&AEE Boscombe Down 22/5/1951. Used for handling trials of "ASR Type G Containers".
Upon completion of trials, declared surplus to CS(A) MoS requirements, and returned to FAA RN charge at RNAS Culham RDU on 28/6/1951 for overhaul and modifications to service standard Sea Hornet NF.21. First issued for service to 809 Squadron FAA RN aboard HMS Eagle in January 1952. Successively coded "481/Q" then "481/A" and finally "489/J". Took part in the Royal Fleet Review following the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Spithead on 15/6/1953 flying from HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent.
Involved in a fatal deck accident aboard HMS Eagle 9/7/1953 when Naval Airman 1st Class FX 906674, Andrew Smith was blown into the rotating propellers of Sea Hornet VW959 by the slipstream of other aircraft, and killed.
Written off (damaged beyond repair) 1/9/1953: Aircraft VW959 departed from HMS Eagle in the North Atlantic off the coast of Iceland, and had an engine failure (black smoke and a loss of power) from its starboard engine; a forced emergency landing was made at Reykjavík–Keflavík Airport, Keflavik, Iceland. Radar & Instruments removed and aircraft abandoned on site. The cost involved in repatriating the aircraft was deemed to be incompatible with the expected remaining service life of the aircraft. Both crew - Commissioned Pilot A.R.Warren and Lieutenant D.J.Melhuish, RN - were uninjured. Struck Off Charge 30/10/1953 as Cat.ZZ.
Note: In 1955 the remains of VW959 were moved to Eiðistorg in Seltjarnarnes town for display. In 1957 the wreck of VW959 was moved again to unknown area.
Sources:
1. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant et al, Air Britain, 2004 p.130)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File ADM 1/24575: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4845688
3. https://stridsminjar.is/en/a-list-of-crash-sites-by-year/post-war-incidents/256-de-havilland-hornet-meeks-field-keflavik-september-1-1953
4. https://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1953.htm
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH103%20prodn%20list.txt
6. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VW
7. https://www.agefotostock.com/age/en/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/MEV-10840568
8. http://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/nos11.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Aug-2020 22:28 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 26-Aug-2020 08:51 | Angel Dick one | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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