1974 losses

17/01/1974 XP548 X Jet Provost T4 6 FTS Damaged beyond repair following a bird strike, location not known. To ground instruction at Brawdy as 8404M
23/01/1974 XV797 H Harrier GR3 4 Sqn Crashed at Vredepeel, Netherlands after fuel pump failure. The pilot ejected but was killed when his parachute harness failed
13/02/1974 XR715 R Lightning F3 29 Sqn Crashed at Blyford Green, Suffolk after the pilot ejected following an engine fire
14/02/1974 XG161 55 Hunter F6 229 OCU At the conclusion of air combat manoeuvres over the Atlantic Ocean off Harltand Point, North Cornwall the instructor pilot ordered a return to base at Chivenor. However, only three aircraft returned, the fourth, XG161, having crashed into the sea. No emergency transmissions were made and the wreckage of the aircraft and body of the Singaporean trainee pilot were never found
18/02/1974 XT477 HJ Wessex HU5 845 NAS The pilot became disorientated during a test flight from HMS Hermes after a compressor turbine failure. It crashed into a fjord near Harstad, Norway killing a crew member
21/03/1974 XV702 R-054 Sea King HAS1 824 NAS Flew into cliffs at night one mile west of Black Head, Coverack near to The Lizard, Cornwall. All four crew were killed
26/03/1974 XV785 F Harrier GR3 4 Sqn Control was lost during a flapless landing at Wildenrath, West Germany. The pilot attempted to use nozzle braking but the aircraft pitched up. The pilot ejected with the aircraft in a near stalled vertical position but was killed
11/04/1974 XW331 46 Jet Provost T5 3 FTS Made a heavy landing at Leeming, North Yorkshire and was declared a write off
12/04/1974 XR636   Scout AH1 664 Sqn Flew into rising ground at Rich Hill near Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland killing the pilot
14/04/1974 XN954 LM-631 Buccaneer S1 Ex 736 NAS Deliberately pushed off the aft of HMS Ark Royal into the English Channel off Plymouth during the making of a safety film. This was due to the loss of XT269 on 15th February 1972. The footage was shown as part of the Carrier exhibition at Yeovilton FAA museum
18/04/1974 XT101   Sioux AH1 652 Sqn Written off in West Germany and sold for scrap
05/1974 XP772   Beaver AL1 15 Flt/7 Regt Damaged in Sudan, later declared a write off. Rebuilt as G-BUCJ
03/05/1974 XM991 T Lightning T4 19 Sqn Damaged beyond repair in a ground fire at Gutersloh, West Germany. Allocated to ground instruction at Gutersloh as 8456M. Destroyed by fire during June 1975
29/05/1974 XN788   Lightning F2A 19/92 Sqns The undercarriage collapsed under heavy breaking after the brake chute failed to deploy on landing at Gutersloh, West Germany. It was damaged beyond repair and was allocated to decoy duties on the airfield
30/05/1974 XS160 548 Hiller HT2 705 NAS Damaged in a heavy auto-rotation landing at Culdrose, Cornwall. Not repaired and stripped for spares and used for ground instruction at Culdrose. Later rebuilt and sold as G-BDOH in 1976. Became D-HTIM and crashed in Germany on 15th June 1991
03/06/1974 XL456 LM-761 Gannett AEW3 849 NAS Suffered control restrictions on a MADDL circuit and crashed at Lossiemouth, Grampian
07/06/1974 XG130 61 Hunter FGA9 45 Sqn The pilot lost control of the aircraft after becoming disorientated while in cloud and ejected. The aircraft crashed near to a railway tunnel at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
19/06/1974 XR631   Scout AH1 652 Sqn Crashed and caught fire following a wire strike at Vogelsang, West Germany during a photographic sortie. The four crew escaped safely
24/06/1974 XR748 M Lightning F3 111 Sqn Crashed into the North Sea off Great Yarmouth, Norfolk after hydraulic failure. The pilot ejected safely
15/07/1974 XP138 PO-654 Wessex HAS3 737  NAS Crashed into the English Channel off Chisel Bank, Dorset at night shortly after take off from Portland when the engine failed. It rolled over and three on board were killed
17/07/1974 WP845   Chipmunk T10 Northumbrian UAS Received minor damage after taxying into an obstruction at St. Athan, Glamorgan. Later declared a write off and allocated to 1329 Sqn ATC at Stroud
04/08/1974 WE981   Prefect TX1 1 GS Crashed at Spitalgate, Lincolnshire
09/08/1974 XV493 F Phantom FGR2 41 Sqn Collided with the crop sprayer over Fordham Fen, near Downham Market, Norfolk and crashed. Both Phantom crew and the Pawnee pilot were killed
09/08/1974 G-ASVK   Pawnee Private
26/08/1974 XA301   Cadet TX3 615 GS Dived into the ground at Kenley, Greater London
29/08/1974 XW838   Lynx WG13 WHL Force landed at Yeovil, Somerset after loss of tail rotor drive. The pilot escaped without injury. Caused by torsional fracture of the input drive gear shaft due to inadequate lubrication. Allocated to the AETW at Middle Wallop as TAD009
03/09/1974 XS162 548 Hiller HT2 705 NAS Suffered a heavy landing in a field at Ruan Manor near Goonhilly, Cornwall. It struck a rock and rolled onto its side. The pilot escaped safely. The wreckage was put onto the dump at Culdrose
07/09/1974 XS875 047 Wessex HAS1 Ark Royal SAR Flt The engine surged on take off from HMS Ark Royal while operating off northern Scotland. It crashed onto the port waist catapult bridle arrest ramp causing its tail section to break off. The crew escaped safely. Allocated to Brize Norton fire dump
11/10/1974 XV431   Phantom FGR2 31 Sqn Crashed on take off from Bruggen, West Germany when the wings folded after they had been left unlocked. Both crew ejected
23/10/1974 XT163   Sioux AH1 11 Flight Having dropped off at Jemaluang, Malaysia during a night CASEVAC exercise it struck trees after take off. It crashed and caught fire killing the pilot, who had become disorientated due to his lack of food over the previous 24 hours. It took the rescue team two days to reach the crash site
29/10/1974 XR768 P Lightning F6 5 Sqn Crashed into the North Sea off Mablethorpe, Lincs following a reheat fire in No 2 engine. The pilot ejected but the ejection sequence was unsuccessful and he was killed
01/11/1974 WZ763   Grasshopper TX1 Air Cadets Written off, no further details
01/11/1974 XX477 31 Jetstream T1 CFS Crashed into a playing field on take off from Little Rissington, Gloucestershire after a double engine failure. Both wings were ripped off by trees and the fuselage breached a stone wall. The crew suffered minor injuries. To ground instruction at Finningley as 8462M
11/11/1974 XV351 R-030 Buccaneer S2D 809 NAS Crashed into the mud flats at Wainfleet Ranges, The Wash, Norfolk. Both crew ejected, pilot killed, navigator injured
14/11/1974 XW203 CK Puma HC1 33 Sqn Crashed onto Beacon Hill near Newbury, Berkshire after loss of control. The crew escaped with minor injuries
19/11/1974 XV644 PO-664 Sea King HAS1 737 NAS Suffered tail rotor drive failure and ditched into the English Channel 21 miles south of Portland Bill, Dorset. It floated for a while allowing the crew to be rescued but later sank in 34 fathoms. Recovered and allocated to Lee-on-Solent as A2664
21/11/1974 XV441   Phantom FGR2 41 Sqn Crashed at Lang Hent, Netherlands after a loud bang and an uncontained fire in the port engine on take off from Bruggen, West Germany. Both crew ejected safely
22/11/1974 XX136   Jaguar T2 A&AEE Control was lost and the aircraft entered a spin from which the pilot could not recover Both crew ejected and the aircraft crashed at Wimborne St. Giles, Dorset
12/12/1974 XV667 TG-145 Sea King HAS1 826 NAS Approximately 5ft of one of the main blades detached during a night flight off HMS Tiger. It ditched into the 
Bay of Biscay and the crew escaped before it rolled over and sank in 4,300 meters of water. It was not 
recovered

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