| 23/01/1978 | XW426 | 60 | Jet Provost T5A | 2 FTS | Crashed at Riggs Farm, Dalby Forest, North Yorks following loss of control in a dive. The crew ejected but one was killed |
| 30/01/1978 | XW205 | CB | Puma HC1 | 33 Sqn | Crashed near Voss, Norway during exercise 'Arctic Express'. The starboard cabin door came off and struck the tail rotor. The aircraft began to break up and landed vertically onto a wooded hillside killing three crew |
| 07/02/1978 | XR541 | 61 | Gnat T1 | CFS | Ran into the barrier at Mona, Anglesey causing the nose wheel to collapse. Allocated to St. Athan as 8602M |
| 17/02/1978 | XX404 | Gazelle AH1 | 658 Sqn | Crashed at Jonesborough, Armagh, Northern Ireland after the pilot lost control during a turn when flying at high speed to avoid small arms fire. It struck a wall and came to rest in a field on its right side killing one of the the two passengers. The pilot was trapped underneath the helicopter but survived due to his helmet taking the weight of the helicopter | |
| 03/03/1978 | XR981 | Gnat T1 | Red Arrows | Crashed during practice aerobatics at Kemble, Gloucestershire. Both crew were killed | |
| 05/03/1978 | WZ875 | Chipmunk T10 | 12 AEF | Crashed four miles north of Dunfermline, Fife during unauthorised low flying and aerobatics over a Loch. The pilot was killed | |
| 21/03/1978 | XX971 | DE | Jaguar GR1 | 31 Sqn | No2 engine failed on take off from Lahr, West German. The pilot jettisoned the external stores and attempted an emergency landing on one engine. He allowed speed and height to decay and ejected when he considered that he would not reach the airfield |
| 10/04/1978 | XV132 | Scout AH1 | 658 Sqn | Crashed into Lough Neagh, Ulster, Northern Ireland after flying into a snow storm. Pilot and passenger were killed | |
| 26/04/1978 | XR544 | 60 | Gnat T1 | 4 FTS | The crew ejected on approach to Valley, Anglesey after engine failure caused by fuel pump failure. It crashed onto a beach on the edge of the airfield |
| 27/04/1978 | XX149 | N | Jaguar T2 | 226 OCU | Emerged from cloud in a steep inverted dive and crashed into a mountain at Cullen, Banff. The crew initiated ejection moments before the aircraft crashed but they were both killed |
| 12/05/1978 | XP904 | Scout AH1 | 654 Sqn | Crashed into trees at Lemgo near Lippstadt, West Germany in a near vertical descent with virtually no rotor speed. It struck the ground and caught fire killing the two crew. Possibly caused by inadvertent closure of the fuel cock in mistake for the heater control | |
| 12/05/1978 | XT868 | R-000 | Phantom FG1 | 892 NAS | During a practice display at Leuchars, Fife for the last Naval flight of the Phantom the aircraft flew low downwind along the runway axis and then entered a tight right hand turn through 180 to fly back along the runway. With a high sink rate it just missed the QRA sheds and the pilot ejected horizontally as the right wing struck the ground and was seriously injured. The observer attempted to eject moments later but was killed |
| 12/05/1978 | XX410 | CU-58 | Gazelle HT2 | 705 NAS | Control was lost at 300ft after a fenestron (tail rotor) stall during a wingover manoeuvre at Predannack, Cornwall. The Fenestron, a shaft driven 13 blade fan, replaces the conventional tail rotor. The aircraft spun several times and struck the ground at an estimated 16G. The trainee pilot broke his hand and the Australian Instructor hurt his back lifting the wreckage off the trainee |
| 24/05/1978 | XF991 | VL-874 | Hunter T8C | FRADU | Crashed at Martock, Somerset after the engine exploded on take off from Yeovilton. The pilot ejected safely |
| 25/05/1978 | XH176 | Canberra PR9 | A&AEE | Crashed at Chilmark, Wilts after the pilot abandoned the aircraft after it entered a spin following loss of control during an asymmetric trial. It was on a flight to discover the reason for the loss of XH137 on 03/05/1977 which also crashed out of control | |
| 28/05/1978 | XV273 | Beaver AL1 | BATUS | The aircraft failed to climb during a down hill take off with a tail wind from Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada. It bounced off the ground several times before striking tress and coming to rest in a marsh. Two of the five on board were injured | |
| 06/1978 | XN982 | R-032 | Buccaneer S2A | 809 NAS | The nosewheel was sliced off at Cecil Field NAS, Florida, USA by a tractor after the maintainer driving it had lost control. The tractor was wedged underneath the Buccaneer and the driver sustained serious injuries and died in hospital. To the UK for rebuild but not completed and allocated to ground instruction at Brough |
| 01/06/1978 | XN598 | 31 | Jet Provost T3A | 1 FTS | The wing struck the water on Gouthwaite Reservoir, Patley Bridge, Yorkshire during a turn. The aircraft cartwheeled and broke up killing the pilot |
| 06/06/1978 | XX761 | 11 | Jaguar GR1 | 226 OCU | Destroyed in a ground fire during engine runs at Lossiemouth, Grampian. Nose to 8600M |
| 14/06/1978 | XN975 | Buccaneer S2A | RAE Bedford | Crashed at Oelde, near to Bruggen, West Germany after entering a spin at low level following avoiding action to miss a German autobahn surveillance helicopter. The crew ejected safely | |
| 19/06/1978 | WJ753 | L | Canberra B2 | 100 Sqn | During an overshoot at Marham, Norfolk the pilot allowed the engine rpm to drop below the recommended rpm levels. The engines spooled up unevenly during the subsequent throttle up causing a severe asymmetric condition resulting in near vertical bank with the port wingtip striking the ground to the left of the runway. During the ensuing cartwheel, the cockpit section was removed from the fuselage, breaking between the pilot and navigator's seats. The pilot suffered serious leg injuries when his ejection seat fired sideways when on the ground. The occupant of the Rhumbold (fold down seat next to the pilot) was badly injured. Miraculously, of the two rear crew one broke an ankle and the other walked away unscathed |
| 29/06/1978 | XW414 | 67 | Jet Provost T5A | CFS/3 FTS | The pilot ejected after the engine failed on final approach to Dishforth, Yorkshire |
| 05/07/1978 | XT285 | Buccaneer S2 | BAe Warton | The pilot executed too tight a turn during a dummy attack on Luce Bay range off West Freugh, Dumfries. The aircraft stalled, pitched up, dropped a wing and crashed. The pilot remained with the aircraft and was killed. The navigator ejected but was also killed | |
| 18/07/1978 | XP105 | DV-403 | Wessex HAS3 | 737 NAS | Ditched into the English Channel off the Isle of Wight after the rotor blades struck a lifeboat davit (hoist) on the side of HMS Devonshire during the ships farewell voyage. Allocated to A2698 at Lee On Solent |
| 24/07/1978 | XV483 | Y | Phantom FGR2 | 92 Sqn | Flew into the ground near Drenke, east of Paderborn, West Germany during a practice intercept. Both crew were killed |
| 25/07/1978 | XX823 | BG | Jaguar GR1 | 17 Sqn | Crashed onto a beach at Cagliari, Sardinia during unauthorised low level aerobatics while operating from Decimomannu. The pilot was killed |
| 04/08/1978 | XV403 | M | Phantom FGR2 | 111 Sqn | Flew into the North Sea 58 miles off Aberdeen, Grampian during a practice intercept. Both crew were killed |
| 11/08/1978 | XL390 | Vulcan B2 | 617 Sqn | During a display rehearsal at Glenview NAS, Chicago, Illinois, USA it stalled during a wing over. It crashed onto a rubbish tip killing all four crew | |
| 13/09/1978 | XP110 | PO-655 | Wessex HAS3 | 737 NAS | Ditched into the English Channel fifteen miles off Portland, Dorset after engine failure. It was recovered and eventually stored at Wroughton before being delivered to Fleetlands and then Gosport for ground instruction |
| 14/09/1978 | XL494 | LM | Gannet AEW3 | 849 NAS | Damaged a wing and flaps during a landing on HMS Ark Royal. Off loaded at Gibraltar and allocated to fire dump there |
| 18/09/1978 | XA287 | Cadet TX3 | 662 GS | Written off in a flying accident at Dyce, Aberdeen. The wreck was sold to the RAFGSA and allocated to the Wrekin Flying Club at Cosford and is hanging from the crew room roof | |
| 20/09/1978 | XP143 | PO-650 | Wessex HAS3 | 737 NAS | Ditched into the sea 25 miles north of Valley, Anglesey, Gwynedd after an engine surge. One of the flotation bags did not deploy causing the helicopter to roll inverted. The four crew were rescued. To ground instruction at Lee-on-Solent |
| 21/09/1978 | XX530 | 12 | Bulldog T1 | RNEFTS | Flew into high ground at Cochayne Ridge, Cleveland Hills, North Yorkshire after engine failure. Both crew were killed |
| 11/10/1978 | XW869 | A | Gazelle AH1 | ARWF | The main rotors struck the ground during a low level manoeuvre at Stockbridge, Hants. Control was lost and the aircraft came to rest on its starboard side and was destroyed by fire. The pilot received major injuries |
| 23/10/1978 | WT875 | Cadet TX3 | 615 GS | All were damaged beyond repair in a hangar fire at Kenley, Greater London | |
| 23/10/1978 | XA288 | Cadet TX3 | 615 GS | ||
| 23/10/1978 | XA300 | Cadet TX3 | 615 GS | ||
| 23/10/1978 | XN242 | Cadet TX3 | 615 GS | ||
| 23/10/1978 | WB929 | Sedbergh TX1 | 615 GS | ||
| 23/10/1978 | WB940 | Sedbergh TX1 | 615 GS | ||
| 26/10/1978 | WP309 | CU-570 | Sea Prince T1 | 750 NAS | The undercarriage collapsed while taxying at Yeovilton, Somerset. To the dump at Yeovilton |
| 01/11/1978 | XX759 | 19 | Jaguar GR1 | 226 OCU | While being chased by another Jaguar it entered cloud in a gentle climb but emerged in a near vertical dive. It did not recover and crashed at Selkirk, Borders killing the Ecuadorian pilot. See also 3rd July 1979 |
| 16/11/1978 | XJ695 | J | Hunter FGA9 | 1 TWU | Made an emergency landing at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire following a multiple bird strike. Not repaired and allocated to 8738M at Manston |
| 23/11/1978 | XT598 | E | Phantom FG1 | 111 Sqn | Flew into St. Andrews Bay some ten miles from Bell Rock while on approach to Leuchars, Fife. Both crew were killed |
| 02/12/1978 | XW614 | Scout AH1 | 659 Sqn | Flew into Lough Ross, Northern Ireland after the pilot became disorientated during a night time sortie whilst wearing night vision goggles. Both crew were killed | |
| 07/12/1978 | WT530 | Canberra PR7 | 13 Sqn | Lost power on take off from Luqa, Malta due to fuel contamination and crashed. The crew ejected | |
| 15/12/1978 | XV801 | Y | Harrier GR3 | 3 Sqn | Crashed at Ennigerloh, West Germany after the pilot ejected following loss of control |