25/01/1979 |
XN236 |
|
Cadet
TX3 |
662
VGS |
Written
off in a heavy landing after a low level launch failure at Dyce, Aberdeen |
03/02/1979 |
XT441 |
337 |
Wasp
HAS1 |
829
NAS HMS Sheffield Flt |
Ten minutes after take off from the ship off Gibraltar at night a bright glow emanated
from the engine area with a strong smell of burning. A controlled ditching in the
Mediterranean severed the tail boom. The two crew were rescued. To the AIU at Lee-on-Solent then to Wroughton as A2703. Ended its days at Predannack Fire School |
08/02/1979 |
XR604 |
|
Scout
AH1 |
7
Regt |
Prior
to take off from Hereford, Herefordshire the pilot inadvertently operated
the fuel shut off cock instead of the cabin heater. The engine failed at
800ft and the aircraft overturned during the subsequent forced landing in
a school playing field. The pilot was slightly injured |
28/02/1979 |
XV578 |
F |
Phantom
FG1 |
111
Sqn |
Crashed
into the North Sea off Montrose, Tayside after the crew ejected following
engine failure |
02/03/1979 |
XS150 |
CU-524 |
Wessex
HAS1 |
771
NAS |
Written
off after falling off a jack while under maintenance, possibly at
Culdrose. Allocated to Lee-on-Solent for ground instruction |
03/03/1979 |
XT465 |
VU |
Wessex
HU5 |
846
NAS |
Flew into power cables across a fjord near Andoya, Norway. The tail section detached and it crashed inverted killing two of the crew. The third member died later of his injuries |
14/03/1979 |
XJ637 |
O |
Hunter
FGA9 |
1
TWU |
Crashed
near Aberystwyth, Dyfed after the pilot ejected due to engine failure |
26/03/1979 |
XX147 |
BY |
Jaguar
T2 |
17
Sqn |
Crashed
at Sudlahn, West Germany after suffering a bird strike while at 250ft
which entered the cockpit. The crew had initially attempted to recover the
aircraft but ejected when speed began to decay. This had been due to the
airbrakes being extended |
28/03/1979 |
XN585 |
12 |
Jet
Provost T3A |
1
FTS |
The
crew ejected shortly after take off from Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire after a
spurious fire warning |
19/04/1979 |
XR500 |
A |
Wessex
HC2 |
28
Sqn |
Crashed
into Hong Kong harbour during winching practice in fog. Allocated to Sek
Kong fire dump |
22/05/1979 |
XP539 |
|
Gnat
T1 |
Red
Arrows |
Crashed
at Leeming, Yorkshire after the engine cut due to a fuel blockage. The
crew ejected safely |
25/05/1979 |
XX459 |
|
Gazelle
AH1 |
669
Sqn |
Despite
taking avoiding action the aircraft struck a power cable near Bispingen, West Germany during Exercise ‘Red Hackle’ It struck the ground
and bounced onto its port side. The two crew escaped safely |
25/05/1979 |
XS931 |
D |
Lightning
F6 |
5
Sqn |
Crashed
into the North Sea off Hornsea, Humberside after the pilot ejected due to
the controls jamming shortly after take off from Binbrook |
07/06/1979 |
XP805 |
|
Beaver
AL1 |
BATUS |
Crashed near Banff, Alberta, Canada after completing a turn and then losing height possibly due to turbulent conditions. The tail section struck trees which pitched the nose down causing the starboard wing to strike the trees. Two of the four occupants received major injuries |
12/06/1979 |
XV781 |
O |
Harrier
GR3 |
3
Sqn |
Crashed
on approach to Gutersloh, West Germany after the pilot ejected following
an engine fire |
12/06/1979 |
XX950 |
|
Tornado |
BAe |
The
aircraft was simulating high loft attack manoeuvres over the Irish Sea. It
struck the water in a shallow dive 44 miles off Blackpool after descending
too low in mist while preparing for another loft run in. Both crew were
killed |
22/06/1979 |
XX142 |
G |
Jaguar
T2 |
226
OCU |
The
pilot had been asked to fly inverted to check for a loose article. This
was done first at 1,500ft and then at 1,000ft. On the second attempt the
nose dropped due the application of positive ‘g’ and rudder and it
flew into the Moray Firth ten miles north of Lossiemouth, Grampian killing
both crew. The laid down minimum height for a loose article check is
5,000ft |
22/06/1979 |
WH589 |
|
Sea
Fury FB11 |
Private |
Crashed
shortly after take off on a test flight in West Germany |
03/07/1979 |
XW371 |
59 |
Jet
Provost T5A |
7
FTS |
Crashed
ten miles east of Lancaster during a low level navex in bad weather. The
pilot was killed. |
03/07/1979 |
XK140 |
N |
Hunter
FGA9 |
2
TWU |
The Ecuadorian pilot ejected over the Sea off
Lochives, Scotland after loss of control while in cloud. This was the second aircraft lost while being flown by an Ecuadorian pilot (see 1st November 1978) and they were subsequently not allowed to fly solo again in British aircraft |
05/07/1979 |
XZ189 |
|
Lynx
AH1 |
1
Regt |
During refitting of the Automatic Flight Control System computer a cable was not connected correctly and made contact with, but pushed back, the Pitch Control pin. During the transition from hover on take off from Hildesheim, West Germany contact was broken. The computer detected a pitch error and compensated. In doing so, contact was re-established then broken again. This 'Pitch Runaway' cycle repeated, each time more violent, and the helicopter lurched towards a hangar door. The main rotors struck the doors and turned back on themselves striking and killing the pilot. The other crew member died from his injuries |
06/07/1979 |
XG197 |
26 |
Hunter
F6A |
1
TWU |
Crashed
into the village of Tintagel, Cornwall after the pilot ejected over the
sea following
engine failure |
12/07/1979 |
XW526 |
Y |
Buccaneer
S2B |
16
Sqn |
Suffered
structural failure of a wing and crashed near Osnabruck, West Germany
killing both crew |
18/07/1979 |
XX960 |
AY |
Jaguar
GR1 |
14
Sqn |
Struck
a TV mast and crashed at Iserlohn, West Germany while attempting to rejoin
his formation. The pilot ejected safely |
18/07/1979 |
XZ137 |
E |
Harrier
GR3 |
4
Sqn |
Crashed
near Glessen, West Germany killing the American pilot |
07/08/1979 |
XW842 |
|
Gazelle
AH1 |
663
Sqn |
Suffered
a wire strike at Soltau, West Germany and crashed. |
17/08/1979 |
XP737 |
N |
Lightning
F3 |
11
Sqn |
Crashed
into the Irish Sea off Valley, Anglesey after the pilot ejected due to a
jammed undercarriage |
24/08/1979 |
XZ293 |
|
Gazelle
AH1 |
662
Sqn |
Suffered
a wire strike and crashed at Jerret Pass, near Bessbrook, Armagh, Northern
Ireland killing both crew. The wreckage was taken to Middle Wallop and
stripped |
26/08/1979 |
XR601 |
|
Scout
AH1 |
BATUS |
The
main rotor severed the tailboom in a heavy landing at Suffield, Canada
after engine failure while in a 50 feet hover. One of the two crew were
badly injured. Allocated to ground instruction at Arborfield |
28/08/1979 |
XW179 |
|
Sioux
AH1 |
A&AEE |
Damaged
in a heavy landing Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. Allocated to A2711 at
Wroughton. To the Wessex Aviation Society and used in the rebuild of XT242
(crashed 15/04/1975) |
01/09/1979 |
XX458 |
|
Gazelle
AH1 |
669
Sqn |
The aircraft was carrying out a rising and falling target marking 'Porpoise' manoeuvre during the work up for Exercise Medicine Man on the Soltau training area, West Germany. With a high rate of decent on a hot windless day the skids struck a small rise in otherwise flat area causing the aircraft to disintegrate. The engine and gearbox passed through the cabin area but the three crew were not badly injured |
18/09/1979 |
XR723 |
A |
Lightning
F6 |
5
Sqn |
After a fire in No2 engine the pilot mistakenly shut down No1 engine. The aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea fifteen miles off Akrotiri, Cyprus and he was rescued by 84 Sqn Whirlwind XP346 after only six minutes in the water |
21/09/1979 |
XV757 |
12 |
Harrier
GR3 |
1
Sqn |
Both
pilots ejected after the aircraft touched wing tips over Wisbech,
Cambridgeshire. XV757 crashed onto open ground south of the town but XZ128
crashed onto houses in Wisbech, killing three civilians |
21/09/1979 |
XZ128 |
15 |
Harrier
GR3 |
1
Sqn |
04/10/1979 |
XW766 |
E |
Harrier
GR3 |
3
Sqn |
Crashed
in a wood near Ravensberg, West Germany after the pilot ejected due to
loss of power following a bird strike |
01/11/1979 |
XP899 |
D |
Scout
AH1 |
ARWS |
Damaged
when the engine surged during a practice autorotation near Winchester,
Hants causing the aircraft to strike the ground heavily. Later declared a
write off. The pilot was uninjured |
08/11/1979 |
XV756 |
26 |
Harrier
GR3 |
1
Sqn |
Crashed
on Holbeach Range, Lincs after suffering ricochet damage during firing.
The pilot ejected safely |
16/11/1979 |
XX542 |
13 |
Bulldog
T1 |
RNEFTS |
The
crew abandoned the aircraft near Skipton-on-Swale, Yorkshire after loss of
control in turbulence |
23/11/1979 |
XX762 |
28 |
Jaguar
GR1 |
226
OCU |
Encountered
bad weather while acting as a chase aircraft. During the ‘pull up’ the
pilot ejected, possibly in the belief that the aircraft was about to
strike the side of a hill. It crashed on the summit of Beinn-A-Chleibh,
near Dalmally, Argyllshire. He was killed after suffering a severe blow to
the head |
10/12/1979 |
XX749 |
21 |
Jaguar
GR1 |
226
OCU |
Collided during a low level four ship formation turn and crashed at Lumsden, Aberdeenshire. The pilot of XX749 ejected but the canopy failed to jettison because the firing link was disconnected in the collision. The seat passed through the canopy severely injuring the pilot, who was also burned due to the fuel tank behind the cockpit exploding. The other pilot did not eject and was killed |
10/12/1979 |
XX755 |
08 |
Jaguar
GR1 |
226
OCU |
27/12/1979 |
XW228 |
DP |
Puma
HC1 |
230
Sqn |
Flew into steel telephone wires at 18ft strung across a road Mtoko, Rhodesia. It crashed and burst into flames killing the three crew members.
yThe helicopter was engaged on cease-fire monitoring duties and was operating with two other Pumas from Kotwa |