1993 losses

Early 1993 ZD669 D Harrier GR3 1417 Flt Damaged in Belize. With the impending disbandment of the unit it was not repaired and was put on display at Belize International
15/03/1993 XH671   Victor K2 55 Sqn Badly damaged during static cabin pressure tests at Marham, Norfolk. With the withdrawal of the type from service it was not repaired
18/03/1993 ZB648 CU-40 Gazelle HT2 705 NAS Control was lost after suffering Fenestron tail fan stall during a spot turn manoeuvre at Predannack, Cornwall. It rolled over onto its port side in the subsequent forced landing but the crew escaped uninjured. To Fleetlands for repair but these were not carried out and it was stripped for spares. To the Fire School at Predannack.
(See 16th January 1991 XW886 for Fenstron Stall explanation)
19/05/1993 WG403 O Chipmunk T10 BFWF Collided on the ground at Middle Wallop, Hants. One of the instructors was killed, the other instructor and both students were injured
19/05/1993 WK620 T Chipmunk T10 BFWF
21/05/1993 XW845 CU-47 Gazelle HT2 705 NAS Force-landed in a field near Predannack, Cornwall after engine failure. Although only slightly damaged it was airlifted back to Culdrose by Sea King XV647. To Shawbury store and sold as G-CBSA in 2002
27/05/1993 XV193 193 Hercules C3P LTW After over flying a designated drop zone in Glen Tilt on the edge of the Grampian Mountains, ten miles from Blair Athol, the pilot applied almost maximum power, banked right and pitched up to avoid a steep sided valley wall. The aircraft stalled and it crashed
13/06/1993 XL595 G-BTYL Hunter T7 Private Crashed in the Ladybower reservoir area  of  the Peak District, Derbyshire during a thunderstorm. The pilot/owner was killed. He had took off from Coltishall despite warnings of bad weather in the Peak District area
28/06/1993 ZD430 AO Harrier GR7 3 Sqn Crashed onto farmland between Hecklington and Burton Pedwardine, seven miles from Sleaford, Lincolnshire after the pilot had ejected. Fuel from a massive leak on the starboard wing leading edge, probably caused by a bird strike, was ignited by the engine
01/07/1993 XX163 PH Hawk T1 CFS The aircraft took off from Valley, Anglesey with the intention of carrying out a roller landing on the reciprocal runway from which it had departed. However the student pilot misjudged the turn and approach. The instructor took control too late and the aircraft struck the runway hard causing the undercarriage to collapse. Both crew ejected when the aircraft caught fire
20/07/1993 XX407 D1 Gazelle AH1 670 Sqn The student lost fenestron tail fan control during a reconnaissance sortie in a confined space on Salisbury Plain. The aircraft was badly damaged when it made a heavy forced landing, seriously injuring the pilot. To Fleetlands for repair but was declared a write off
21/07/1993 XV654 PW-705 Sea King HAS6 819 NAS Suffered failure of the No4 tail rotor drive shaft and struck the ground hard at Prestwick, Strathclyde. It then spun through 180° which tore off the port undercarriage The crew escaped safely To Fleetlands but repairs were abandoned and it was allocated to Gosport for ground instruction as A2698
12/08/1993 XR524   Wessex HC2 22 Sqn Spiralled into Lyn Padarn lake, Llanberis, Gwynedd after suffering tail rotor failure. Three crew and one ATC cadet escaped with back injuries but three cadets drowned. When the tail pylon was last closed the toothed coupling on the tail rotor drive never engaged correctly. Subsequent movement should have ensured that this occurred. Due to hardening of grease and possible spline wear this did not happen. During a simulated yaw channel runaway the high load disengaged the coupling. Tail rotor speed decayed which lightened the load and the coupling re-engaged. The subsequent load shock caused failure of the drive shaft
26/08/1993 WP980 E Chipmunk T10 6 FTS The instructor mishandled a simulated engine failure on take off and practice forced landing at St. Athan, Glamorgan. The aircraft stalled and struck a hangar killing the instructor and injuring the student
09/09/1993 ZB628 V Gazelle HT3 2 FTS The aircraft was part of a three ship formation returning to Shawbury from Frosinone Air Base, Italy. They encountered a severe rain storm over the Mediterranean Sea 11 miles off Monaco which forced the other two to force land on a beach. The crew of ZB628 failed to notice a reduction in speed and height. It hit the sea overturned and sank. The three crew were rescued by a Coast Guard launch
10/09/1993 XV867   Buccaneer S2B 208 Sqn During a high G turn over the Irish Sea the undercarriage lowered, severing hydraulic lines and causing a fuel leak. Due to poor weather at other bases the pilot was forced to divert to Leeming, Yorks, being refuelled en-route. During the subsequent emergency landing the undercarriage collapsed and the aircraft swung off the runway. Due to withdrawal of the type it was not repaired. The crew escaped unhurt
17/09/1993 XT667 F Wessex HC2 28 Sqn Ditched into the South China Sea off Hong Kong on the edge of mainland China due to problems with both engines, probably due to salt water contamination. It was attempting to rescue the crew of a fishing boat which had been sunk in the tropical storm Becky. The helicopter crew were rescued but the aircraft was not recovered
21/10/1993 ZE858 GO Tornado F3 43 Sqn Suffered a massive fuel leak due to a fuel pipe clamp fracture during a low level sortie in the Pennines. The pilot selected reheat to gain height but ignited the fuel and set fire to both engines. Both crew ejected safely, the aircraft crashing onto moorland adjacent to the A66 road at Stainmore near Barnard Castle on the border between Cumbria and County Durham
06/11/1993 ZE419 PW-705 Sea King HAS6 819 NAS The helicopter was in a sonar hover during an exercise with the submarine Unicorn in the Atlantic Ocean five miles south off the Orsay Lighthouse, Isle of Islay, off the west coast of Scotland. It pitched up, hit the sea tail first, which broke off the tailcone, and sank in 90 meters of water killing one crew member. Initially to Yeovilton but ended its days at the Predannack Fire School
23/11/1993 ZD432 WF Harrier GR7 Turkey Det While refuelling from a VC.10 during a patrol over Northern Iraq the engine surged then lost power. Due to a rise in temperature the pilot shut the engine down. He was unable to relight it and ejected. The aircraft crashed at Sirsenk, Northern Iraq. He was rescued by an American helicopter and suffered only minor injuries

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