To my mind the 'rain' if any was the least of our 'flying AEO' (Air Engineer Officer at that time) worries. Several of us from VC-724 were on a survival exercise west of the airfield (being buzzed by a Venom for some reason) and drenched by thunderstorms. We got back to the squadron to the news of the Vampire crash with severe injury to the pilot a day or so later. He really was on his 'last flight before retiring' (a MAXbus - when all available aircraft go pound some ships). He was unauthorised for instrument flight so he had to return to the field quickly, before the others airborne, in an attempt to beat the approaching thunderstorm from the west.
Sadly he was probably caught in what we know today as a microburst from the storm just west of the field. Unable to land he had to go around into the storm itself but likely from what I was told the aircraft was forced into the trees just west of the field RW26 by the severe thunderstorm downdraught. He attempted ejection just at that moment but the seat went into the front windscreen during the crash - he was lucky to survive. Sadly he was then confined to a wheelchair to become a successful lawyer in Canberra. He died a few years ago now.
JPG from VC-724 line book pages recording the accident on 15 May 1969. The right hand seat unoccupied has fired when aircraft hit trees/ground. The left seat with pilot has impacted the windscreen as shown because he initiated ejection earlier. The second JPG shows little if any crash trail through trees as the aircraft was going down vertically due to severe thunderstorm effect at probably a very low airspeed caused by severe local conditions. By accounts at the time the thunderstorm was a MONSTER!
Third JPG shows the relative intactness of the Vampire with the right hand seat parachute draped over it.
