| Early 1980 | WG556 | A | Shackleton MR2 | 8 Sqn | Written off in a heavy landing at Lossiemouth, Grampian. It was stored at Lossiemouth until being allocated to 8651M and being placed on the fire dump there on 20th February 1981. It was finally scrapped during July 1982 |
| 14/01/1980 | XZ572 | B-270 | Sea King HAS2 | 814 NAS | Ditched into the Atlantic Ocean and sank after suffering an oil leak while operating from HMS Bulwark between Bermuda and Florida on the American mainland. The crew were rescued by fellow Sea King XV713. It was not recovered |
| 14/01/1980 | XP819 | Beaver AL1 | FWF | Struck the northern boundary fence of the M3 motorway in fog at Dummer Hill, near Popham, Hampshire and caught fire. The pilot had landed in the adjacent field and then attempted an overshoot. Both crew were killed | |
| 29/01/1980 | XT637 | Scout AH1 | 1 Regt | The engine failed at 300 feet shortly after take off from Hildesheim, West Germany due to water contaminated fuel. It landed heavily on frozen ground, slid across a road and came to rest in a ditch. It was not repaired and was put into store at Wroughton until being disposed of | |
| 07/02/1980 | XV345 | Buccaneer S2A | 15 Sqn | Crashed on the Nellis Ranges, Nevada, USA during a Red Flag exercise, after structural failure of a wing. Both crew were killed. This accident resulted in the grounding of the Buccaneer fleet and subsequent checks revealed many were suffering from severe fatigue damage because of their role. Some were deemed beyond economical repair and were withdrawn. This led to the disbandment of the recently formed 216 squadron | |
| 12/02/1980 | XK151 | Z | Hunter FGA9 | 2 TWU | Crashed in the Cuillin Hills on the Isle of Skye killing the pilot |
| 18/02/1980 | XZ306 | Gazelle AH1 | 651 Sqn | Crashed on White Hill Mountain near Lisburn, Northern Ireland after suffering a wire strike at night. Both crew were killed | |
| 05/03/1980 | XV436 | E | Phantom FGR2 | 29 Sqn | Missed the cable during an emergency landing at night at Coningsby, Lincs following hydraulic failure. The crew ejected and it ran off the runway and into a field. Allocated to Abingdon as 8850M |
| 12/03/1980 | XW765 | D | Harrier GR3 | 3 Sqn | Crashed at Lampeter, Dyfed after suffering a bird strike at low level. The pilot ejected safely |
| 08/05/1980 | XW314 | 28 | Jet Provost T5A | RAFC | Crashed near to the A46 road near Cranwell, Lincolnshire after the student had mishandled the aircraft during a spin. The instructor was unable to recover the aircraft and both crew ejected |
| 08/05/1980 | XN127 | W | Whirlwind HAR10 | 2 FTS | Entered an uncontrolled rolling dive and struck the ground at Shawbury, Shropshire. The loadmaster was seriously injured but the rest of the crew escaped with minor injuries |
| 16/05/1980 | XL953 | Pembroke C1 | 60 Sqn | Destroyed in a hangar fire at Wildenrath, West Germany | |
| 17/05/1980 | XX262 | Hawk T1 | Red Arrows | When flying as one of the synchro pair at Brighton it struck the 44ft mast of a yacht leaving the harbour, 4 inches from the top. The pilot ejected over the sea and was picked up by a passing motor boat | |
| 22/05/1980 | XT763 | PO-515 | Wessex HU5 | 772 NAS | Ditched into Weymouth Bay, Dorset after loss of transmission oil pressure. The five crew escaped safely and the aircraft was recovered and placed on the dump at Portland |
| 28/05/1980 | XX961 | BJ | Jaguar GR1 | 17 Sqn | During a run and break over the airfield at Bruggen, West Germany the No 2 aircraft (XX964) of the four-ship formation broke too early and collided with the No 1 (XX961). The pilot of XX961 ejected but the other pilot did not and was killed |
| 28/05/1980 | XX964 | BL | Jaguar GR1 | 17 Sqn | |
| 28/05/1980 | XG261 | J | Hunter T7 | 2 TWU | The pilot was unable to pull out of a high speed dive during ACT as he had left the flaps down. He ejected and the aircraft crashed near Dufftown, Grampian |
| 29/05/1980 | XL597 | Hunter T7 | 216 Sqn | Suffered loss of power due to a fuel systems fault while flying low level. Both crew ejected and it crashed south of Little Saxham near Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk | |
| 03/06/1980 | XV589 | P | Phantom FG1 | 111 Sqn | Crashed on approach to Alconbury, Cambs after the radome opened causing loss of control. The crew ejected safely |
| 10/06/1980 | XX390 | A | Gazelle AH1 | 3 CBAS | Failed to level out and flew into Lough Foyle, during a descent to join the circuit at Ballykelly, Northern Ireland. All three occupants were injured |
| 27/06/1980 | XP156 | PO-663 | Wessex HAS3 | 737 NAS | Crashed into the English Channel off Portland, Dorset killing all three crew |
| 11/07/1980 | XV418 | S | Phantom FGR2 | 92 Sqn | Flew into the ground near Diepholz, West Germany when control was lost while trying to formate with the camera aircraft during filming for the BBC. Both crew were killed |
| 17/07/1980 | XX817 | BB | Jaguar GR1 | 17 Sqn | Shortly after take off from Bruggen, West Germany the port engine lost power. The pilot attempted to return to base but ejected when both engines caught fire due to a fuel leak. It crashed into woods seven miles from the base |
| 31/07/1980 | XN590 | 86 | Jet Provost T3A | 7 FTS | Suffered a multiple bird strike during an overshoot at Elvington, Yorks when it flew into part of a flock of 500 racing pigeons that had been released ten miles south of the airfield. The pilot ejected and the aircraft crashed near Goole, Humberside |
| 08/1980 | WJ821 | Canberra PR7 | 13 Sqn | Written off in a force-landing at Bedford. Allocated to Bassingbourn gate as 8668M | |
| 15/09/1980 | XX401 | F | Gazelle AH1 | 3 CBAS | Flew into a hill at Balnakeil, Sutherland killing three on board. It was operating off HMS Intrepid during exercise 'Teamwork 80' |
| 18/09/1980 | XX545 | 02 | Bulldog T1 | London UAS | Stalled during a simulated engine failure and crashed onto the airfield at Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Both crew were injured |
| 14/10/1980 | XV792 | AN | Harrier GR3 | 3 Sqn | Crashed after a technical defect while in a hover at Gutersloh, West Germany. The pilot ejected but was killed |
| 28/10/1980 | XV761 | CB | Harrier GR3 | 4 Sqn | Crashed 19 miles north of Bitburg, West Germany after a bird strike. The pilot ejected safely |
| 07/11/1980 | WH667 | J | Canberra B2 | 100 Sqn | Crashed in flames after an engine exploded on take off from Akrotiri, Cyprus. The pilot did not eject, the navigator did but was killed |
| 11/11/1980 | WP972 | A | Chipmunk T10 | FWF | Lost power just after take off from Middle Wallop, Hants. The instructor took control and turned the aircraft back towards the airfield and made a heavy forced landing which broke off the undercarriage. Caused by a worn fuel shut off lever in the cockpit. |
| 12/11/1980 | XV413 | D | Phantom FGR2 | 29 Sqn | Crashed into the North Sea 50 miles off Cromer, Norfolk during ACT. The crew made no attempt to eject and were killed. Only one per cent of the aircraft was recovered and so no cause was found |
| 17/11/1980 | XV256 | Nimrod MR2 | 206 Sqn | Crewed by 206 Sqn, it suffered a massive bird strike on take off from Kinloss, Grampian when just 20ft off the runway. Only the number 4 engine was undamaged and the RAAF exchange pilot ordered full power on it and the other three damaged engines. However he was forced to make a crash landing into a forest 1,300yds from the end of the runway. The aircraft was quickly engulfed in flames. The two pilots were incapacitated due to severe blows to the head during the crash and due to the severity of the fire it was not possible to rescue them. The other eighteen crew were able to escape but all suffered smoke inhalation | |
| 18/11/1980 | ZA801 | V | Gazelle HT3 | CFS | Crashed after loss of control in a turn at Chetwynd, Salop. The pilot escaped without serious injury |
| 30/11/1980 | XX434 | Gazelle AH1 | 655 Sqn | While on the ground in Ulster, Northern Ireland with the rotors turning, a holdall was passed into the rear of the cabin. This caught on and raised the collective lever. The aircraft yawed violently to the left and pitched nose down into the ground. One of the four occupants was injured | |
| 01/12/1980 | XZ454 | N-250 | Sea Harrier FRS1 | 801 NAS | Hit HMS Invincible’s ski ramp during a slow flypast for the press and crashed into the English Channel off The Lizard, Cornwall. The pilot ejected safely |
| 09/12/1980 | XV414 | R | Phantom FGR2 | 23 Sqn | Crashed into the North Sea 200 yards astern Trinity House light vessel two miles off Great Yarmouth, Norfolk after the crew ejected following the ignition of a massive fuel leak. The wreckage was found seven months later when fishermen caught it in their nets and was later dumped at Wattisham |
