1976 losses

06/01/1976 XV133   Scout AH1 662 Sqn Crashed near Crossmaglen, Armagh, Northern Ireland after the pilot became disorientated at night after flying into low cloud. Both crew were killed
16/01/1976 XT758 B-VB Wessex HU5 848 NAS Suffered a control failure when 5ft above the deck of HMS Bulwark. It moved 50ft off the starboard bow and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean 780 miles off the Azores. The crew escaped safely. It sank while being recovered
19/01/1976 XV745 27 Harrier GR3 233 OCU Four Harriers were attacking a target from different directions near Wardle, Nantwich, Cheshire. The two failed to maintain separation and collided as they crossed over. Both pilots were killed
19/01/1976 XV754 7 Harrier GR3 233 OCU
22/01/1976 XL579 9 Hunter T7 ETPS Crashed at Winterborne Gunner after total engine failure while on the downwind leg to land at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire due to foreign object ingestion. Both crew ejected but received major injuries
06/02/1976 XX137 A Jaguar T2 226 OCU Crashed into Moray Firth four miles off Milltown after both crew ejected following a fuel leak. Allocated to the P&EE at Shoeburyness
13/02/1976 XS211 72 Jet Provost T4 3 FTS Crashed after the crew ejected following engine failure due to fuel starvation during an overshoot at Leeming, Yorkshire
16/02/1976 XP531 6 Gnat T1 CFS/Red Arrows Hit cables during an emergency landing at Kemble, Gloucestershire. The front fuselage was mated with the rear fuselage of XR537 and allocated to the CSDE at Swanton Morley
03/03/1976 XV166 FF Buccaneer S2B 15 Sqn Stalled and crashed while on approach to Honington, Suffolk. Both crew ejected safely
12/03/1976 XV746 8 Harrier GR3 1 Sqn Crashed into a mountain at Bardufoss, Norway during exercise 'Atlas Express'. The pilot ejected but was killed
19/03/1976 XS678   Wessex HC2 ETPS The pilot failed to arrest the high rate of descent during the transition from rearward to forward flight after hovering in a tail wind. It struck upward sloping ground in a field adjacent to Boscombe Down village and both crew received major injuries. The front fuselage went to Australia for engine development studies
31/03/1976 XV669 BL-410 Sea King HAS1 820 NAS Whilst in the hover and sonar dunking in the English Channel off HMS Blake and 18 miles south of Portland Bill, Dorset the main rotor blade balance weights detached. Control was lost due to severe vibration and it ditched, rolled over and sank in 210ft of water. The crew were rescued by a Sea King. Allocated to ground instruction as A2659 and later named Mr Walter ‘Mechanical Radio Weapons And Electrical Training Engineering Rig’
21/04/1976 XG185 74 Hunter F6 4 FTS The pilot ejected after a fire in the port wing root. It crashed into shallow water at Maltreath Sands, Southern Anglesey, Gwynedd
27/04/1976 XP300 S Whirlwind HAR10 2 FTS Badly damaged, possibly at Ternhill, Shropshire and was later declared a write off. To the fire dump at Portland
27/04/1976 XR105   Argosy C1 ETPS During a practice two engine approach to Boscombe Down, Wiltshire and during corrective action by the instructor the student slammed open the throttles to the two live engines. The aircraft rolled inverted and crashed onto the airfield killing two of the occupants and severely injuring the third
30/04/1976 XP536 27 Gnat T1 4 FTS The two Gnats were part of a larger formation to mark the retirement of a squadron commander at Valley. One of the crew reported a Phantom aircraft nearby and one of the Gnats struck the underside of the other while the crew were looking for it. They crashed into the ground locked together at Dolgellau, Gwynedd killing the four crew
30/04/1976 XR983 53 Gnat T1 4 FTS
04/05/1976 XJ635 I Hunter FGA9 1 TWU Dived into the ground at Aberystwyth, Powys after loss of control in cloud. The pilot was killed
25/05/1976 XW900 O Gazelle AH1 660 Sqn Crashed into a corn field approximately one mile south of its airfield at Soest, West Germany after the pilot became disorientated during Night Vision Goggle Trials. Allocated to Middle Wallop as TAD900
03/06/1976 XX703 02 Bulldog T1 E/Lowlands UAS Force-landed at Glenrothes, Fife after suffering an engine failure
13/06/1976 XP357   Whirlwind HAR10 22 Sqn Written off in a forced landing on Newgale Beach, Brawdy, Dyfed. Allocated to ground instruction at Manston, Kent as 8499M
24/06/1976 XS111   Gnat T1 CFS/Red Arrows The undercarriage collapsed when the aircraft ran into the overrun area after the brakes failed on landing at Kemble, Gloucestershire
02/07/1976 XX822 AA Jaguar GR1 14 Sqn Flew into the ground fifteen miles north of Ahlhorn, West Germany during air to ground firing practice. The pilot was killed
06/07/1976 XW770 J Harrier GR3 3 Sqn The pilot ejected five miles NW of Cloppenburg near Borken, West Germany following severe vibration caused by engine compressor blade failure
22/07/1976 XX618 A Bulldog T1 Yorkshire UAS The crew abandoned the aircraft after loss of control in a spin. It crashed onto the beach at Birkdale near Woodvale, Lancashire. Another Bulldog, XX623, landed alongside XX618 but turned over in the soft sand. It was rebuilt but due to structural damage sustained in the landing it was not allowed to perform aerobatics. It was allocated to East Midlands UAS and suffered further damage during a forced landing on 26th July 1995
23/07/1976 XV417 I Phantom FGR2 29 Sqn During ACT with two Dutch F-104’s over the North Sea the starboard wing tip folded when pulling 5G. The crew ejected and the aircraft crashed into the sea off Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire. Caused by a loose outer wing securing bolt
30/07/1976 XS937 K Lightning F6 11 Sqn Crashed into the North Sea off Flamborough Head, Humberside after the pilot ejected when he was unable to lower the undercarriage while on approach to Leconfield
02/08/1976 XT115   Sioux AH1 664 Sqn While attempting to find a suitable landing spot on uneven hills in Belize, the rear of the starboard skid became wedged against a boulder. As the pilot applied power the nose rose and the aircraft began to rock. It then struck the ground heavily and caught fire. Both crew escaped safely
04/08/1976 XN786 M Lightning F2A 19 Sqn Suffered a ground fire at Gutersloh, West Germany. To 8500M as an airfield decoy at Gutersloh
16/08/1976 XG191 24 Hunter F6A TWU Crashed into St. Georges Bay 30 miles SW of Brawdy, Dyfed after loss of control. The pilot was killed
26/08/1976 XS544 456 Wasp HAS1 829 NAS Failed to recover from a wingover manoeuvre during a flying display for the crew of HMS Yarmouth and their families. It crashed into the Firth of Forth near the Forth Bridge somersaulted and sank. One of the two crew were injured. It was recovered and sent to the AIU at Lee-on-Solent
28/08/1976 XW230 DM Puma HC1 1563 Flt Crashed into the Toledo Forest, Belize after engine failure on take off from Salamanca and was destroyed. All eight on board were killed
03/09/1976 XJ764   Whirlwind HAR10 84 Sqn Declared a write off following an accident in Cyprus. Allocated to the dump at Akrotiri
15/09/1976 XX735   Jaguar GR1 6 Sqn Crashed at Eggebeck, West Germany during exercise 'Teamwork 76' after loss of control while climbing out from a bomb toss manoeuvre due to the selection of airbrakes instead of slats. The pilot was killed
17/09/1976 XX120   Jaguar GR1 54 Sqn Crashed into the Kattegat, off the Samsoe Islands, Denmark during exercise 'Teamwork 76' after possible loss of control while in cloud. The pilot was killed
21/09/1976 WT772 VL-875 Hunter T8C FRADU Suffered engine failure shortly after take off from Yeovilton, Somerset. Both crew ejected and it crashed near Vale Farm between Babcary and Sparkford. The pilot was accompanied by a ship’s captain who was there to experience a fast jet flight
29/09/1976 XL513   Victor K2 55 Sqn Overran the runway at Marham, Norfolk after the pilot abandoned take off following a bird strike
08/10/1976 XR996 66 Gnat T1 4 FTS Crashed while on approach to Shawbury, Shropshire. Both crew were killed
11/10/1976 XS884 CU-522 Wessex HAS1 771 NAS Whilst on a return flight from Aberporth and at 5,000ft the engine began to vibrate and exploded causing a fire. It ditched into the Atlantic Ocean off Camel Estuary, north Cornwall. It sank but the crew were able to escape safely
25/10/1976 XJ636 N Hunter FGA9 TWU Crashed one mile west of Mathry, Dyfed after the pilot ejected due to engine failure
29/10/1976 XW531   Buccaneer S2B 12 Sqn Crashed into the Norwegian Sea, off Bodo, Norway after loss of control
13/12/1976 XM844 DV-404 Wessex HAS3 737 NAS While off the Isles of Scilly a night take was attempted from HMS Devonshire with the tail section still lashed to the ship. This ripped off the tail wheel causing the tail rotor to strike the Sea Slug missile launcher. It then fell over the starboard side of the ship and sank. One crew member was killed
14/12/1976 XZ102 H Jaguar GR1 2 Sqn Immediately after take off from Laarbruch, West Germany for a test flight the pilot had difficulty controlling the aircraft. He managed to climb to 800ft but it entered an uncontrollable roll forcing him to eject. It crashed ten miles NE of the base. The tailplane powered control units had not been reconnected following the refitting of No2 engine

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