1986 losses

1986 WT908   Cadet TX3 661 VGS Suffered a heavy landing at Kirknewton, West Lothian. Sent for repair but was sold and registered as BGA3487. Date sold was 19th August 1986, date of accident is not known and the year is assumed
07/01/1986 XV434 J Phantom FGR2 29 Sqn Control was lost during a practice intercept in the Yorkshire Dales of another Phantom at low level. The crew ejected and the aircraft crashed near West Burton, twenty miles NW of Harrogate. They lay in the snow for two hours after being severely injured before being picked up by a rescue helicopter. Possibly caused by a fuel system blockage which on clearing altered the trim and caused the aircraft to behave erratically
25/03/1986 XZ213   Lynx AH1 4 Regt No1 engine failed due to oil starvation while in a 10 ft hover at Einbeck, West Germany during Exercise ‘Flying Bolt’ The pilot was unable to control the aircraft and it struck trees while in a right hand turn and hit the ground nose first. Both crew were injured. Allocated to Middle Wallop AETW as TAD213
25/03/1986 XT439 605 Wasp HAS1 829 NAS A rapid recovery from a nose pitch down position caused the main rotor blades to sever the tail rotor drive shaft. It crash-landed Merryfield, Somerset and rolled onto its side injuring both crew. To ground instruction at Cranfield Institute of Technology
02/04/1986 XV784 C Harrier GR3 233 OCU Badly damaged by fire on the flight line at Wittering, Cambridgeshire and was later declared a write off. To 8909M
16/04/1986 XZ491 R-000 Sea Harrier FRS1 801 NAS Ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea off Benbecula, Outer Hebrides while operating off HMS Ark Royal. The pilot ejected
29/04/1986 XZ336   Gazelle AH1 3 Flt Suffered a wire strike and landed heavily at Middlemoor Farm, near Hudswell, North Yorkshire
13/05/1986 ZA715 C Chinook HC1 1310 Flt Flew into the side of a saddle 40 ft from the crest near to Mount Alice, West Falkland after suffering a whiteout. The co-pilot, a crewman and a Gurka were killed. Of the other twelve on board, three suffered major injuries and nine escaped with minor to slight injuries
25/05/1986 WA669   Meteor T7 CFS/Vintage Pair During the air show at Mildenhall, Suffolk and when performing a formation barrel roll the Vampire was unable to match the role rate of the Meteor. It passed under the Meteor and its starboard fin and rudder struck the Meteor’s port nacelle. The Vampire pitched up violently and the two crew ejected. The Meteor crashed into a field killing both crew
25/05/1986 XH304   Vampire T11 CFS/Vintage Pair
06/06/1986 XW407 122 Jet Provost T5A 7 FTS Visual contact was lost during a tail chase. The leader then noticed the other aircraft ahead of him and despite taking avoiding action he struck and removed the tail section of the No.2 aircraft. All three crew ejected safely. One aircraft crashed near High Leys Farm near Helmsley, North Yorkshire. the other crashed near Middle Heads Farm
06/06/1986 XW411 133 Jet Provost T5A 7 FTS
17/06/1986 XW916 W Harrier GR3 4 Sqn Crashed short of the runway at Yeovilton, Somerset after a major electrical failure followed by fuel starvation subsequent loss of thrust.. The pilot ejected safely two seconds before the aircraft struck the ground
19/06/1986 XL191   Victor K2 55 Sqn Struck the ground heavily 300 ft short of the runway during a visual approach to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It bounced back into the air and struck the ground again to the left of the runway It then ground looped and came to rest on its belly some 1,500ft from the initial impact point. The crew escaped safely. The nose section was donated to the Canadian Wardbird Heritage Trust
28/06/1986 XW769 A Harrier GR3 4 Sqn As part of a during a display at Chievres Air Show Belgium. the aircraft accelerated rearwards. The nose then lowered and height increased. The nose continued to drop and the aircraft became inverted before it crashed upside down. The pilot ejected but was killed when his seat struck the ground
02/07/1986 ZG200   Hawk 200 BAe Crashed at Alfold, Surrey after the test pilot became disorientated during a demonstration flight for Swiss defence procurement personnel
03/07/1986 XV471 G Phantom FGR2 19 Sqn The crew ejected after loss of power while on approach to Wildenrath, West Germany during a test flight. It crashed into a field near Rath-Anhoven. An intense fire in the aft fuselage caused the stabilator powered flying control unit to melt. This resulted in total loss of pitch control
07/07/1986 XX223   Hawk T1 4 FTS The port tyre burst on landing at Valley, Anglesey causing the aircraft to swing off the runway. It became airborne for a short distance then slid across the airfield, stopping in the visiting aircraft area which luckily was empty. The pilot ejected safely
12/07/1986 XZ297   Gazelle AH1 661 Sqn Crashed near Bispingen, West Germany during exercises on Luneburg Heath after the main rotor hit the ground. A passenger on board was killed
15/07/1986 XR760 BL Lightning F6 11 Sqn Shortly after taking on fuel from a Victor tanker and while carrying out an intercept a fire started in the jet pipe area and the control column seized in the central position. The pilot ejected and the aircraft crashed into the North Sea fifteen miles off Whitby, North Yorkshire
17/09/1986 XZ640 L Lynx AH1 LCF The aircraft was on a training exercise from the Faillagouse Aviation Mountain Training School in the French Pyrenees. Whilst hovering or manoeuvring in high turbulence over a rocky terrain near Saillagouse the tail rotor clipped an outcrop of rock. The loss of control resulted in the aircraft falling near-vertically for a considerable distance down a mountain gulley before being destroyed in a post-crash fire. The crash was non-survivable for all three on board
29/09/1986 XX514 BL Bulldog T1 1 FTS The student lost control of the aircraft during a simulated avoidance of a flock of birds during an overshoot at Topcliffe. It struck two trees, the second while inverted and crashed upright into a field at Maynooth Farm, Knayton, near Thirsk, Yorkshire
07/10/1986 ZA727   Gazelle AH1 661 Sqn Crashed at Hameln, West Germany after hitting trees at night. The pilot was killed
15/10/1986 ZD632 R-010 Sea King HAS5 820 NAS Ditched into the Mediterranean Sea off Gibraltar after an engine explosion while on approach to HMS Ark Royal
03/11/1986 XX297   Hawk T1A Red Arrows During a display practice at Scampton, Lincs the engine surged and cut out after the aircraft flew into the jet wash of the leading aircraft. The pilot was unable to relight the engine and attempted an emergency landing back at base. He however left the airbrakes extended and was forced to eject short of the runway. Allocated to ground instruction at Finningley as 8933M
04/11/1986 XS518   Wessex HU5C 84 Sqn The pilot became disorientated while flying over the Mediterranean Sea at night. While checking his instruments the aircraft struck the water off Cyprus. Of the four crew only the pilot survived
27/11/1986 XX732 03 Jaguar GR1 226 OCU Crashed onto Stock Hill in the Craik Forest, eleven miles SW of Hawick, Borders. The USAF exchange pilot did not eject and was killed. Possibly due to disorientation in cloud and being preoccupied with trying to recover from a dive and being unaware of the proximity of the ground
02/12/1986 ZA555   Tornado GR1 TWCU Shortly after take off from Honington the crew declared an emergency and turned towards base. Control was lost at 3,000ft and the crew ejected at 1,200ft. The aircraft crashed into a field at Rookery Farm, Wortham, near Diss, Norfolk. A hot air leak had damaged insulation and started a fire which then damaged the flying control rods. This prevented use of the taileron
10/12/1986 ZA605 G Tornado GR1 617 Sqn Collided while joining up after take off from Marham on a night sortie. ZA605 crashed onto a disused railway line 1½ mile north of Thorney, Cambridgeshire after the crew ejected. ZA611 made an emergency landing back at Marham with part of a wing missing. It was rebuilt at Warton and then placed into store at St. Athan before re-entering service
10/12/1986 ZA611 A Tornado GR1 617 Sqn

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