Date:	Tuesday 15 February 1955
Time:
Type:	De Havilland DH.112 Venom NF Mk 2
Owner/operator:	23 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WR781
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	2 miles from Rougham, near RAF West Raynham, Fakenham, Norfolk -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF West Raynham, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Coltishall, Norfolk
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.112 Venom NF.2 WR781, 23 Sqdn, RAF: Written off (destroyed) 15/2/55 when crashed into a tree two miles from Rougham, Norfolk, at low altitude shortly after take off from RAF West Raynham, Fakenham, Norfolk. Both crew killed

The aircraft was returning to RAF Coltishall from RAF West Raynham and took off normally. However, about 15 seconds after becoming airborne, the aircraft struck a tree and a fire started in the engine bay, although the aircraft continued to climb and appeared to be under control. It then lost height and crashed into a field.

Although not positively determined, it is thought that the pilot might have been distracted whilst making a radio frequency change. Furthermore, there is a 200 feet AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level) height difference between West Raynham and Coltishall, but there is no information as to what pressure setting was on the altimeter at the time. It is therefore possible that the altimeter was not reset to compensate for this difference, leaving the altimeter to misleadingly give a reading that was 200 feet lower than the aircraft's actual altitude.

Crew of Venom WR781
S/Ldr (122946) Patrick Stevens Engelback (pilot, CO 23 Sqn) RAF - killed on active service 15/2/55
F/O Malcolm John Wright (Navigator) RAF - killed on active service 15/2/55

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.168 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 91)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.117
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/259: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424380
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/33/S2740: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578520
6. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WR
7. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?14395-S-L-Patrick-Stevens-Engelbach-(former-141-Mosquito-pilot)-KIA-as-OC-23-Squadron-1955
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH112%20prodn%20list.txt
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rougham,_Norfolk

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-Jan-2020 02:35	Dr. John Smith	Added
15-Jan-2020 02:39	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
15-Jan-2020 10:52	stehlik49	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Operator]
05-May-2020 23:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
06-May-2020 23:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
01-Sep-2021 22:06	TB	Updated [Time, Narrative, Operator]