Ref; the Vampire T55 crash on April 18, 1966 in North Wales I was a DeHavilland (HS) employee and on the search party and in fact the first to find the wreckage and crew remains.

Mr. A.P (Tony) Chalk FTO was still in the aircraft when it impacted the hill in a dive. No attempt to eject had been made.

Mr. Alan Brandon TP had ejected at the last moment and had bounced down  the opposite side of the snow covered hill with the parachute streaming. It was concluded that he was not fatally injured but died of exposure in the snow while still unconscious.

The aircraft had suffered a complete electrical failure at high altitude and subsequently lost all blind flying instruments in snow storm conditions. The canopy had been ejected some miles prior to the crash site which suggested an anticipated ejection if visibility was not regained.

I was of the understanding that they were flying a Vampire T11 which had been converted from a non-ejection seat type by the substitution of a later T11 fuselage pod (I could be wrong)

 Duncan Stuart
[in email 5th October 2006]

". . . I was flying XP631 and was  team leader of the RAF Syerston formation aerobatic team. Tim Thorn was a junior Instructor based at the same airfield flying, with his student in XM384.

 The Formation Team were required to fly practice sorties before the start of normal flying training ie, 0845.   On this particular day the cloud base at Syerston was about 1500 ft. thus the team were unable to fly the full display sequence; as this required a cloudbase of 5,000 ft.   We therefore completed a restricted "bad weather" sequence over the airfield,  Then the team departed to the North West to climb above the cloud, in order to practice the full "good weather" sequence. NB. A full sequence practice was necessary as the team were booked to fly a Public display at another airfield in Yorkshire on the following day.

 The team were in the final part of the full sequence, in visual contact with the ground near Woodborough,   when F/O Thorn's aircraft collided with my STBD wing, at half span. This caused the severed STBD tip tank and section of the wing to strike my fin and tail section, which in turn caused my aircraft to commence a severe bunt, ie, a negative 'G' manoeuvre.    At this instant, with no effective a/c control remaining ---- I ejected! ! . . ."

Don Henderson
in email 26th November 2006