Date:	30-DEC-1957
Time:	day
Type:	Percival Provost T Mk 1
Owner/operator:	23 Gp CF Royal Air Force (23 Gp CF RAF)
Registration:	WV624
MSN:	PAC/56/151
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Percival Provost T.Mk.1 WV624: delivered 30/04/1954. Sole operational service career was with 23 Group Communications Flight. RAF

Written off (destroyed) 30/12/1957: Dived into the ground shortly after take off from RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire. After climbing to an altitude of approximately 50 feet, the aircraft started to bank to port, and continued the turn through about 110 degrees descending and strike the ground.

The possible cause of the accident was that the starboard instrument panel may have opened and jammed the controls. As one source puts it "...by the Provost hinging instrument panel swinging open and locking the stick back, causing a stall after take-off". The US Navy pilot (flying solo) was killed.

Crew of Provost WV624:
Lieutenant Harland A Gray, US Navy (pilot, aged 32) - killed on active service 30/12/1957

The wreckage was recovered to Luton and dumped around the side of the helicopter blister hangar for some time although it was gone by the early 60s.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.194 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 102)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.273
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/37/S2905: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578685
5. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1957.htm
6. Photo of wreckage at Luton circa 1961: https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/527527-luton-history-nostalgia-176.html#post10361930
7. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WV
8. https://billiongraves.com/grave/Harland-Alexander-Gray/10478747 .

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-Jun-2011 19:43	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Country, Phase, Source, Narrative]
12-Feb-2012 12:23	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location]
21-Apr-2012 15:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
30-Nov-2012 05:05	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
05-Nov-2019 22:52	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Operator]
15-Aug-2020 22:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative]
15-Aug-2020 22:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
16-Aug-2020 09:00	Angel Dick one	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]
07-Dec-2020 00:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
07-Dec-2020 00:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Narrative]