28/01/1981 |
XW308 |
65 |
Jet
Provost T5A |
1
FTS |
Entered
cloud at 1,000 ft shortly after take off from Leuchars, Fife. It emerged
from the cloud in a near vertical dive but just before impact with the
ground the aircraft levelled out. It then banked right and crashed into a
wheat field on Crumlie Hill near Kilmany, The pilot did not eject and was
killed |
12/02/1981 |
XX827 |
BM |
Jaguar
GR1 |
17
Sqn |
Pulled
up sharply on the Nellis Ranges, Nevada, USA during a Red Flag exercise
and rolled to starboard until inverted after being picked up on radar. It
then stopped climbing but continued to roll until it struck the ground
with both engines in reheat. The pilot did not eject and was killed |
23/02/1981 |
XE552 |
R |
Hunter
FGA9 |
2
TWU |
Dived
into the North Sea off Lossiemouth, Grampian during ACT. Only small pieces
of metal were recovered. The pilot was never found |
06/03/1981 |
XZ915 |
N-015 |
Sea
King HAS5 |
820
NAS |
Collided six miles south of St Catherine’s Point, Isle of Wight during
independent approaches to HMS Invincible and when 2½ miles astern of the ship. Both crashed into the English Channel killing all four crew of
XZ917 and one of the four crew on XZ915. Both wrecks were located by divers on the 15th March, and were recovered to the AIU at Lee-on-Solent |
06/03/1981 |
XZ917 |
N-016 |
Sea
King HAS5 |
820
NAS |
11/03/1981 |
XM872 |
PO-662 |
Wessex
HAS3 |
737
NAS |
Ditched
into the English Channel six miles east of Portland, Dorset after an
engine fire. The crew were rescued by SAR helicopter |
17/03/1981 |
XF977 |
VL-865 |
Hunter
GA11 |
FRADU |
Crashed
into the English Channel twelve miles SW of Start Point near Hallsands,
South Devon after the pilot ejected due to engine failure. He was rescued
by SAR helicopter |
03/04/1981 |
XG151 |
H |
Hunter
FGA9 |
2
TWU |
The pilot was
making a precautionary landing back at Lossiemouth, Grampian due to a fuel
leak. The engine flamed out one mile short of the runway and he ejected.
The aircraft crashed into the undershoot area. Nose section later placed
on the fire dump |
14/04/1981 |
XX973 |
DG |
Jaguar
GR1 |
31
Sqn |
The
pilot lost control of the aircraft during ACT when he was flying at a high
angle of attack and encountered the slipstream of one of the other
aircraft. He ejected and the aircraft crashed into a field four miles NW
of Gutersloh, West Germany |
26/05/1981 |
XW923 |
|
Harrier
GR3 |
1417
Flt |
Crashed
on take off from Belize after the pilot ejected following loss of control
during a short take off. Cockpit to 8724M at Wittering |
01/06/1981 |
XX828 |
P |
Jaguar
T2 |
226
OCU |
The
crew ejected after a Black Headed gull struck and shattered the canopy
while flying at 500 ft. Fragments of the canopy were ingested by both
engines causing a double engine failure. It crashed eight miles east of
Kirriemuir, Tayside |
03/06/1981 |
XP347 |
|
Whirlwind
HAR10 |
22
Sqn |
Crashed
and turned over during its last flight after it suffered tail rotor
failure while hover taxying at Koksijde, Belgium. A seal in the tail rotor
coupling assembly had not been fitted correctly following servicing,
allowing the grease to escape. It continued by road to its original
destination at Gutersloh and was allocated to ground instruction as 8688M |
16/06/1981 |
XW329 |
48 |
Jet
Provost T5A |
3
FTS |
The pilot
mishandled the aircraft after a simulated engine failure after take off
from Leeming, Yorks. It stalled while turning back towards the airfield
and struck the ground under full power in a nose up attitude. The crew
stayed with the aircraft and were only slightly injured. Allocated to
Church Fenton fire dump as 8741M |
30/06/1981 |
XX396 |
N |
Gazelle
HT3 |
CFS |
During
slope landing practice at Shawbury, Salop the front skids struck the
ground. The pilot lost control of the aircraft and its was damaged beyond
repair in the subsequent heavy landing. To 8718M with the Exhibition
Flight and then to Cranwell for ground instruction during December 2000 |
09/07/1981 |
XT866 |
O |
Phantom
FG1 |
43
Sqn |
Following
instrument failure at night it was being led back to Leuchars, Fife.
Control was lost short of the runway in the slipstream of the other
aircraft. The crew ejected, it cartwheeled across the airfield and burnt
out |
14/07/1981 |
XV807 |
|
Harrier
GR3 |
1417
Flt |
During
recovery from a steep dive following a simulated rocket attack on Army
trucks in Belize the aircraft struck the tops of trees in a flat attitude
five miles south of Georgeville and crashed. The pilot did not eject and
was killed |
15/07/1981 |
XP118 |
PO-664 |
Wessex
HAS3 |
737
NAS |
Ditched into
the English Channel off Portland, Dorset after engine failure |
17/07/1981 |
XX113 |
09 |
Jaguar
GR1 |
226
OCU |
The
aircraft rolled uncontrollably to the left during a test flight from
Abingdon. The pilot ejected and it crashed one mile south of Malvern,
Worcestershire. Caused by a loose article jamming the port spoiler Powered
Flying Control Unit |
23/07/1981 |
XR765 |
AJ |
Lightning
F6 |
5
Sqn |
Crashed
into the North Sea thirty miles E of Spurn Head, Humberside after the
pilot ejected due to an inflight fire |
24/07/1981 |
XX916 |
|
Jaguar
T2 |
ETPS |
Crashed
into the Bristol Channel twelve miles off Hartland Point, Devon after a
bird strike. Both crew ejected but the navigator drowned |
30/07/1981 |
XN643 |
26 |
Jet
Provost T3A |
3
FTS |
The
engine flamed out after the student had mishandled the aircraft during
aerobatics which disturbed the airflow to the engine. The crew ejected and
the aircraft crashed near Snaiton, North Yorks |
06/08/1981 |
XX972 |
DF |
Jaguar
GR1 |
31
Sqn |
Crashed
into a house two miles south of Barnard Castle, County Durham injuring the family and killing the pilot. Disorientation in the
bad weather was the likely cause |
25/08/1981 |
XZ139 |
AZ |
Harrier
GR3 |
3
Sqn |
Crashed
west of Ahlhorn, West Germany after the pilot ejected following loss of
control. The tailplane operating linkage bolt had come off due to a
securing split pin being omitted during servicing nineteen days previous |
23/09/1981 |
XW537 |
|
Buccaneer
S2B |
237
OCU |
The
aircraft stalled during a descending turn onto the approach to Wattisham,
Suffolk. Both crew ejected and it crashed one mile short of the runway |
06/10/1981 |
XP890 |
|
Scout
AH1 |
ARWF |
The Scout was badly damaged when the Bell
landed on top of it at Middle Wallop, Hampshire. This caused the Bell’s fuel tanks to explode and the fireball altered the fire crew who were on the scene quickly. All crew escaped without serious injury. The Bell was written off but the Scout was sent for repair. This was cancelled and it was put into store at Wroughton, eventually being cannibalised for spares during 1987 |
06/10/1981 |
G-AXKT |
|
Bell
47G-4 |
Bristow's |
07/10/1981 |
XT448 |
S |
Wessex
HU5 |
845
NAS |
Ditched
into the Atlantic thirty miles off Savannah, Georgia after tail rotor
failure while operating off HMS Hermes |
16/10/1981 |
XR509 |
AK |
Wessex
HC2 |
72
Sqn |
Fell
on to its side during a ground run at Odiham, Hampshire. To 8752M at
Benson |
21/10/1981 |
XX957 |
CG |
Jaguar
GR1 |
20
Sqn |
Struck
by lightning shortly after take off from Bruggen, West Germany. This
caused the left hand engine to surge and shut down. The right hand engine
failed while making an emergency landing at Bruggen and the pilot ejected.
The aircraft crashed into open farmland |
21/10/1981 |
XL619 |
88 |
Hunter
T7 |
1
TWU |
Crashed
into the sea 50 miles SW of Brawdy, Dyfed after the pilot ejected
following loss of control in an inverted spin |
22/10/1981 |
XM366 |
87 |
Jet
Provost T3A |
7
FTS |
Stalled
while making an emergency landing at Holme on Spalding Moor, Humberside
after engine failure. Approach speed was too low and the pilot ejected
short of the runway. Caused by tiny particles of solid matter in the fuel
system. This had interfered with the control of the high pressure fuel
pump |
13/11/1981 |
XL361 |
|
Vulcan
B2 |
9
Sqn |
Found
to be badly damaged after landing at Goose Bay, Canada after the
anti-icing system had failed. With the withdrawal of the Vulcan from
service it was not repaired and was left at Goose Bay |
18/11/1981 |
XX758 |
18 |
Jaguar
GR1 |
226
OCU |
Flew
into a hillside in the Grudie Valley, Dingwall, Highland during a snow
storm. The pilot was killed |
30/11/1981 |
WH872 |
W |
Canberra
T17 |
360
Sqn |
The pilot retracted the undercarriage to stop on landing at Bedford causing it to aquaplane on the wet runway. Although damage was deemed to be CAT 3 repairable its out of service date was on 17th December 1981 so it was declared CAT 5 (scrap). To the fire dump at Bedford |
01/12/1981 |
XL583 |
84 |
Hunter
T7 |
1
TWU |
The
crew ejected while on approach to Brawdy, Dyfed after the engine lost
power due to the failure of a diaphragm in the engine control system |
12/12/1981 |
XT418 |
E-435 |
Wasp
HAS1 |
829
NAS HMS Endurance Flt |
Caught by windshear on approach to land onto the beach at St Andrews Bay, Falkland
Islands. It landed heavily, bounced and went onto its side. The crew and two passengers,
the Governor of the Falkland Islands and his wife, were uninjured. It was stripped for
spares and abandoned |