| 09/01/1973 | XD219 | Scimitar F1 | RAE | During braking trials at Farnborough, Hampshire it failed to engage the arrestor gear at 100 kts. It struck a concrete block which removed the nose wheel causing the aircraft to break its back. This was a non flying aircraft with the outer wings removed | |
| 24/01/1973 | XW535 | Buccaneer S2B | 16 Sqn | Control was lost after the pilot took evasive action to avoid a collision. The crew ejected and it crashed at Minden, West Germany | |
| 06/02/1973 | XL110 | T | Whirlwind HAR10 | 84 Sqn | Crashed at Nicosia, Cyprus after the main rotor seized in a hover |
| 06/02/1973 | XT127 | V | Sioux AH1 | 3 CBAS | Flew into the New River estuary, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, USA during a familiarisation flight as part of an exercise with the USMC. Allocated to the AETW Middle Wallop |
| 27/02/1973 | XT836 | E | Sioux AH1 | 661 Sqn | Despite being warned, the aircraft entered cloud on take off from Detmold, West Germany. It crashed after the pilot became disorientated while in a turn due to the snow covered ground. He received major injuries |
| 27/04/1973 | XG256 | P | Hunter FGA9 | 229 OCU | Hit the stays of a TV mast on Caradon Hill, near Liskeard, Cornwall and crashed. The pilot ejected |
| 03/04/1973 | XS934 | B | Lightning F6 | 56 Sqn | Crashed into the Mediterranean Sea two miles off Cyprus after the pilot ejected following vibration and an engine fire |
| 06/04/1973 | XG135 | B | Hunter FGA9 | 45 Sqn | Crashed near Wittering, Cambridgeshire when the pilot ejected after being advised that the aircraft was on fire |
| 10/04/1973 | XV276 | Harrier GR1 | HSA | Crashed onto a farm at Cranleigh near Dunsfold, Surrey after the pilot flamed out the engine due to a throttle maladjustment. The Swiss pilot who ejected at 300ft was evaluating the type for possible sale to the Swiss AF | |
| 12/04/1973 | XV343 | R-033 | Buccaneer S2 | 809 NAS | Crashed on approach to Honington, Suffolk. Both crew ejected but the navigator was killed when his seat failed |
| 15/04/1973 | XN237 | Cadet TX3 | 618 GS | Crashed onto the airfield soon after launch from West Malling, Kent killing the student and instructor | |
| 16/04/1973 | XN310 | LS-10 | Whirlwind HAR9 | Lee-on-Solent SAR | The engine surged when computer control was selected forcing it to ditch into the Solent in 80ft of water one mile south west of Gilkicker Point, Gosport. The three were picked up by a civilian helicopter but the Whirlwind was not recovered |
| 18/04/1973 | XT174 | Sioux AH1 | 666 Sqn | Hit telephone lines at Caledon, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It crashed and caught fire but the two crew were able to escaped safely | |
| 05/05/1973 | XT503 | Z | Sioux AH1 | 3 CBAS | Control was lost when the main rotor struck an aerial while attempting to land on HMS Bulwark. The pilot was rescued after ditching into the Mediterranean Sea off Crete |
| 07/05/1973 | XR647 | Jet Provost T4 | 6 FTS | XR647 crashed onto a tractor at Norton-Le-Clay, near Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire killing two farm hands. It had collided with XS216, during a formation flying exercise. The crew ejected safely. XS216 landed safely but was later declared a write off and was allocated to ground instruction at Finningley | |
| 07/05/1973 | XS216 | Q | Jet Provost T4 | 6 FTS | |
| 10/05/1973 | XL230 | Victor SR2 | 543 Sqn | At the end of a night sortie the crew commenced a briefed asymmetric landing at Wyton, Cambridgeshire. Due to low altitude an attempt to overshoot was made but power increase on the two idling starboard engines took longer than the port engines. This required strong application of rudder and aileron to counter the starboard wing drop which was increased by the strong cross wind. The wing struck the ground causing the aircraft to cartwheel, become inverted and to break up and burn out. All six crew were killed | |
| 19/05/1973 | XP229 | R-043 | Gannet AEW3 | 849 NAS | Ditched into the South Atlantic Ocean after engine failure while operating off HMS Ark Royal |
| 23/05/1973 | XJ781 | Vulcan B2 | 9 Sqn | Landed on a foam carpet at Shiraz, Iran when one undercarriage leg failed to lower after a training flight. The remaining undercarriage legs were sheered off by a storm drain as the aircraft slowed down and veered off the runway. The crew and Iranian air force observer suffered only minor injuries | |
| 31/05/1973 | XW850 | Gazelle AH1 | 1 FTU | Stalled and crashed near Fordingbridge, Hants during trials. A wiring fault caused the control system to alternate between powered and manual flight each time the anti-collision beacon flashed | |
| 01/06/1973 | XV397 | K | Phantom FGR2 | 17 Sqn | Crashed near Kempen, West Germany after the crew ejected when the aircraft entered a steep dive due to instrument failure. The navigator was killed when he ejected into the pilots canopy |
| 05/06/1973 | XG169 | N | Hunter FGA9 | 229 OCU/79 Sqn | Crashed at Bideford, North Devon after engine failure. The pilot ejected |
| 05/06/1973 | XM988 | 988 | Lightning T4 | 226 OCU | Crashed into the North Sea 23 miles N.E of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk after entering an uncontrollable spin. The pilot ejected safely |
| 25/06/1973 | XV440 | Phantom FGR2 | 31 Sqn | Flew into the North Sea at night off Vlieland, Netherlands. Both crew were killed | |
| 05/07/1973 | XS783 | Basset CC1 | 26 Sqn | Crashed into a railway cutting four miles from Valley, Anglesey shortly after take off after both engines failed due to the fuel tanks having been filled with jet fuel. The navigator was killed. To Wyton fire dump | |
| 07/07/1983 | XT238 | Sioux AH1 | 15/16th Queens Royal Lancers | Crashed at Aldridge, Staffordshire during an attempt to free a parachutist trapped on power lines. The rescue rope caught on the power lines and the tail rotor struck the rope. The two crew and the parachutist were injured | |
| 09/07/1973 | XV791 | W | Harrier GR3 | 20 Sqn | Crashed at Westphalia after take off from Wildenrath, West Germany following a multiple bird strike. The pilot ejected |
| 25/07/1973 | XT871 | R-007 | Phantom FG1 | 892 NAS | Suffered an engine failure on take-off from HMS Ark Royal and ditched into the Firth of Forth near the Isle of May, South East Scotland |
| 27/07/1973 | XF420 | 29 | Hunter F6 | 229 OCU/234 Sqn | Crashed near Chawleigh, North Devon after the pilot had ejected following a spurious fire warning. Allocated to Chivenor fire dump |
| 28/07/1973 | XR993 | Gnat T1 | 4 FTS | Damaged beyond repair in an emergency landing at Lee-on-Solent, Hants following a bird strike. Allocated to Culdrose as A2677. Later became N3XR in the USA and crashed on 19th January 1991 | |
| 30/07/1973 | XV805 | Z | Harrier GR3 | 20 Sqn | Crashed at Coesfeld, West Germany after the engine failed due to damage from a loose bolt. The USMC pilot ejected |
| 02/08/1973 | WJ674 | Y | Canberra B2 | 231 OCU | Yawed during a practice asymmetric approach to Cottesmore, Leics. The crew ejected, the aircraft crashed at South Witham near the Fox Inn. The pilots chute did not deploy and he was killed |
| 22/08/1973 | XV427 | X | Phantom FGR2 | 17 Sqn | The aircraft had fallen out of a four ship formation during a turn. The pilot had attempted to rejoin by ‘cutting a corner’ but flew into high ground at Arfeld, Bad Berleburg, West Germany. The crew did not eject and were killed |
| 06/09/1973 | XV750 | X | Harrier GR3 | 20 Sqn | The pilot ejected following engine failure over Roermond, Netherlands near Wildenrath, West Germany |
| 06/09/1973 | XP508 | 21 | Gnat T1 | 4 FTS | Crashed into the sea shortly after take off from Valley, Anglesey after the crew ejected following loss of power |
| 10/09/1973 | XV198 | Hercules C1 | LTW | Went into a flat spin and crashed during a three engine climb out from Colerne, Wiltshire when the remaining engine on that wing failed. All five on board were killed | |
| 16/09/1973 | XT185 | W | Sioux AH1 | 3 CBAS | Damaged beyond repair in a heavy autorotation landing at Nicosia, Cyprus after engine failure |
| 19/09/1973 | XT830 | Sioux AH1 | 655 Sqn | The cockpit bubble began to break up after striking power cables at Oberweis, West Germany. The aircraft crashed into a river bed and caught fire. Both crew were killed | |
| 21/09/1973 | XJ476 | Sea Vixen FAW21 | A&AEE | Both mainwheel tyres burst on landing at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire due to excessive braking. The brake units disintegrated causing damage to both wing undersides which was not repaired. Used for spares until being scrapped during May 1974. The nose is preserved at Southampton Hall of Aviation | |
| 24/09/1973 | XV739 | V | Harrier GR1A | 1 Sqn | Crashed at Episkopi, Cyprus in the climbing transition from the hover during a display rehearsal. The pilot ejected |
| 05/10/1973 | XW194 | Sioux AH1 | 658 Sqn | Crashed after the tail rotor struck a tree at Kassel, West Germany following a sloping ground take off. The pilot was uninjured | |
| 15/10/1973 | XT869 | R-002 | Phantom FG1 | 892 NAS | Crashed into Tentsmuir Forest while on approach to Leuchars, Fife after both engines shut down. The crew ejected safely at 400ft as there was insufficient height to relight them |
| 02/11/1973 | XL596 | 90 | Hunter T7 | 4 FTS | Flew into trees at Besford Wood while on approach to Shawbury, Shropshire. Both crew were killed |
| 06/11/1973 | XP954 | 753 | Sea Vixen FAW2 | FRADU | Crashed at Ashington, near Yeovil, Somerset. after double engine failure. The civilian crew ejected but one was injured |
| 13/11/1973 | XA234 | Grashopper TX1 | Air Cadets | Damaged beyond repair after suffering a heavy impact with the ground | |
| 20/11/1973 | XP896 | Y | Scout AH1 | 663 Sqn | Suffered engine failure during take off from Armagh, Northern Ireland. It then struck a recovery vehicle during the subsequent forced landing in a vehicle park. The five crew were injured |
| 21/11/1973 | XL900 | CU-590 | Whirlwind HAR9 | Culdrose Station Flt | Rolled over after an emergency landing onto the runway at Culdrose, Cornwall after tail rotor gearbox failure. It broke up but the four crew escaped safely. To Lee-on-Solent AIU then to Fleetlands for components removal |
| 27/11/1973 | WF411 | 18 | Varsity T1 | CFS | Overshot the runway at Little Rissington, Gloucestershire after an aborted take off. To the fire dump at Little Rissington |
| 07/12/1973 | XP809 | Beaver AL1 | 669 Sqn | Struck two trees and crashed on take off from Munsterlager, West Germany after the wrong flap setting was selected. The pilot and passenger escaped uninjured | |
| 10/12/1973 | XP738 | E | Lightning F3 | 111 Sqn | Written off when the undercarriage collapsed on landing at Wattisham, Suffolk. Stripped for spares and placed on the dump there |
| 12/12/1973 | XT442 | 453 | Wasp HAS1 | 829 NAS HMS Eskimo Flt | While on loan to the BRNC and at 500ft the main rotors struck the tail boom. The trail rotor drive shaft failed and it crashed into a stone wall near to the Norton Heliport, Dartmouth, Devon and burnt out. All four crew were killed |
