| 09/01/1990 | XZ108 | GD | Jaguar GR1A | 54 Sqn | The port wing of the Jaguar struck the tail fin of the Tornado after they approached each other head on at Spadeadam weapons range in Northumberland, oth pilots being unaware of each others presence. The Tornado crew ejected after being unable to control the violently rolling aircraft and it crashed near Hexham. The Jaguar pilot managed to correct his rolling aircraft and made an emergency landed at Leeming. It was repaired but see 03/09/1998 |
| 09/01/1990 | ZA394 | I | Tornado GR1A | 2 Sqn | |
| 25/01/1990 | ZE525 | Viking T1 | 626 VGS | All badly damaged when the hangar collapsed on them at Predannack, Cornwall. ZE525 and ZE612 were sold to the RAFGSA at Bicester as R70 and R71 respectively. ZE634 became BGA3076 with the Oxford Gliding Club | |
| 25/01/1990 | ZE612 | Viking T1 | 626 VGS | ||
| 25/01/1990 | ZE634 | Viking T1 | 626 VGS | ||
| 11/02/1990 | ZB687 | Gazelle AH1 | 656 Sqn | Hit by IRA small arms fire while on border patrol at Derry Gorry between Augher and Clogher, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Oil pressure was lost and the aircraft broke up in the subsequent heavy forced landing. Three of the four occupants received minor injuries. | |
| 22/02/1990 | ZH203 | Tucano T51 | Shorts | Suffered catastrophic structural failure of the tailplane during flutter clearance tests with underwing stores. The pilot ejected off Rathlin Island in the north channel off Northern Ireland but was found drowned in his life jacket, tangled in the parachute lines. The aircraft was to have been delivered to the Kenyan AF | |
| 25/02/1990 | XW843 | Gazelle AH1 | 2 Flt | During a five aircraft formation landing at Floro, Norway the main rotors enmeshed with each other causing extensive damage. XW843 was allocated to the SAE at Middle Wallop | |
| 25/02/1990 | XZ348 | Gazelle AH1 | 2 Flt | ||
| 04/1990 | XV478 | B | Phantom FGR2 | 19 Sqn | Badly damaged in a ground fire at Wildenrath, West Germany. Due to the impending retirement of the type it was not repaired |
| 10/04/1990 | XF985 | 877 | Hunter T8C | FRADU | Crashed at Roman Farm, near Charminster, Dorset. The pilot had ejected due to a jammed port aileron. Caused by failure of a pin in the port aileron hydraulic jack |
| 27/04/1990 | XV719 | B | Wessex HC2 | 72 Sqn | Hit the ground hard at Bishops Court, Northern Ireland during a practice wing over manoeuvre, breaking off the tail. The crew suffered major injuries |
| 30/04/1990 | ZA454 | EH | Tornado GR1 | 15 Sqn | Failure of one or more stator vanes started an uncontrollable fire in the right hand engine, This damaged the fly by wire control and other vital systems. During recovery to Goose Bay, Canada a fuel imbalance rendered the aircraft uncontrollable. The crew ejected 22 miles east of the base |
| 30/04/1990 | XV402 | C | Phantom FGR2 | 56 Sqn | The port mainwheel tyre burst during an intentional firm landing at Valley, Anglesey. The wheel wore away and sparks ignited fuel from a ruptured fuel tank. The navigator ejected but the pilot stayed with the aircraft. The fire was extinguished but it had caused considerable damage to the underside of the aircraft. Due to the retirement of the type it was not repaired |
| 30/04/1990 | WR965 | Shackleton AEW2 | 8 Sqn | Flew into a 823ft hill 30 feet from the top near Northton, South Harris in the Outer Hebrides after entering low cloud. All ten on board were killed. It was 18 miles further south west than its intended position but the pilot should have initiated a climb on encountering bad weather. The cause was therefore attributed to navigational and pilot error | |
| 04/05/1990 | WP772 | Q | Chipmunk T10 | BFWF | Damaged the fuselage and wings in a heavy landing at Middle Wallop, Hants. Not repaired and stored at St. Athan until sold to Manston History Museum, Kent |
| 08/05/1990 | XZ460 | 128 | Sea Harrier FRS1 | 801 NAS | Flew into the sea and exploded after take from HMS Invincible while operating off Sardinia. The pilot was killed |
| 09/05/1990 | XX347 | Hawk T1 | 4 FTS | Crashed at Valley, Anglesey after the Brunei student pilot ejected following control problems | |
| 01/06/1990 | XZ734 | HM-475 | Lynx HAS3 | 815 NAS Hermione Flt | While operating off Gibraltar a freak wave combined with a hard turn to port took the aircraft over the side of the ship after the deck securing attachment broke. It sank within three minutes but the crew escaped |
| 21/06/1990 | XH669 | Victor K2 | 55 Sqn | Severe overheating in the starboard engine damaged the flight controls resulting in an emergency landing at Waddington, Lincs. It was not repaired and was allocated to 9092M on the dump at Waddington | |
| 27/06/1990 | WH972 | CM | Canberra E15 | 100 Sqn | While taking part in a Joint Maritime Course the pilot elected to overshoot from a poorly executed ILS approach Kinloss, Grampian in poor visibility. During the overshoot the port engine surged causing the aircraft to yaw rapidly to the left. Both crew ejected seconds before the aircraft hit the ground but the pilot was killed |
| 14/07/1990 | WG655 | GN-910 | Sea Fury T20 | FAA Historic Flt | Force-landed into a field at Bruton, Somerset after take off from Yeovilton due to engine failure. The aircraft received little damage in the landing but then veered into two large oak trees and was destroyed. The two crew escaped with minor injuries. Caused by fatigue failure of the No 2 connecting rod eye end causing total destruction of the front bank of cylinders |
| 14/08/1990 | ZA464 | GM | Tornado GR1 | 20 Sqn | Collided almost head on twelve miles east of Spurn Head, Humberside and crashed into the North Sea. Of the four crew only the pilot of ZA464 survived |
| 14/08/1990 | ZA545 | Tornado GR1 | TWCU | ||
| 16/08/1990 | ZA561 | JH | Tornado GR1 | 27 Sqn | Dived into the North Sea ten miles east of Spurn Head, Humberside after failing to recover from a steeper than usual dive during a practice low level bomb loft manoeuvre on a ship at night. Both crew were killed |
| 12/09/1990 | ZB680 | B | Gazelle AH1 | 3 Regt | The aircraft struck the ground when in a turn, bounced twice and caught fire while on the Suffield training area, Alberta, Canada. The intention had been to show the German passenger a herd of Prongthorn Antelope. The two crew escaped with minor injuries but the passenger was killed |
| 12/09/1990 | XZ387 | GG | Jaguar GR1 | 54 Sqn | Flew into the sea in the Solway Firth five miles off Southerness Point, Dumfries & Galloway killing the pilot. The aircraft was part of a four ship formation preparing for Operation Granby in the Persian Gulf against Iraq |
| 09/10/1990 | XV394 | T | Phantom FGR2 | 92 Sqn | Damaged in a flying accident in Germany. Repair at Wildenrath was halted due to the types withdrawal. Scrapped during September 1991 |
| 17/10/1990 | ZD355 | 01 | Harrier GR5 | 1 Sqn | The aircraft was en-route Aalborg to Wittering and was passing 23,500 ft when the engine failed. The pilot ejected and the aircraft crashed on the island of Moers, Denmark. Caused by fatigue failure of a second stage low pressure compressor |
| 18/10/1990 | ZA466 | FH | Tornado GR1 | 16 Sqn | The undercarriage caught the barrier when on approach to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia after it had been raised by mistake. The aircraft slammed onto the runway and caught fire. Both crew ejected safely. It was returned to the UK for spares recovery and was later allocated to the BDRF at St. Athan |
| 13/11/1990 | XX754 | Jaguar GR1A | Gulf Det | During a formation join up manoeuvre the aircraft flew into a low ridge 87ft above ground level in the desert in Qatar, 100 miles south of Bahrain. The pilot did not eject and was killed. The Jaguars were on a low level training sortie as part of the work up for Operation Granby in the Gulf | |
| 03/12/1990 | ZA768 | F | Gazelle AH1 | 670 Sqn | Struck the ground heavily at Netheravon, Wiltshire after the instructor failed to take over from the student early enough during a misjudged practice autorotation. The aircraft turned over twice and the main rotor severed the tail boom. The two crew escaped safely |
| 07/12/1990 | XR519 | WC | Wessex HC2 | 2 FTS | Written off in a ground resonance incident at Shawbury, Shropshire due to a faulty hydraulic component in the lead-lag damper (rotor head). The airframe was disposed of for scrap Ground resonance occurs when the rotors move out of synchronisation due to a fault, as above or due to a heavy landing or sudden control movement. This causes the centre of gravity to move outwards and if not controlled, the helicopter will begin to rock and very quickly shake itself to pieces |
