10/01/1996 |
ZE166 |
AF |
Tornado
F3 |
56(R)
Sqn |
Collided
almost head on during
ACT due an
error by the pilot of ZE862. One aircraft crashed
50 yards from the Sleaford to Lincoln railway line. Wreckage fell onto the
line between Metheringham and Ruskington blocking the line for five hours.
The other aircraft crashed at Ewerby near Sleaford. All four crew ejected
safely |
10/01/1996 |
ZE862 |
AB |
Tornado
F3 |
56(R)
Sqn |
11/01/1996 |
ZD846 |
BL |
Tornado
GR1 |
14
Sqn |
Control
was lost during ACM with two other Tornados. The pilot, an Italian officer
on exchange, failed to adopt the correct recovery procedure and both crew
ejected at 700 ft. The aircraft crashed into woods on a golf course near
Albachten six miles south west of Munster, Germany |
23/01/1996 |
XX733 |
ER |
Jaguar
GR1A |
6
Sqn |
The
aircraft was No. 3 in a flight of three Jaguars taking off from Coltishall,
Norfolk. The pilot omitted to select afterburner and after a long take off
roll failed to gain height. The undercarriage caught the barrier at the
end of the runway causing it to belly land into a cornfield. The main fuel
tanks were punctured and an intense fire engulfed the front of the
aircraft. The pilot attempted to eject but the aircraft struck the ground
before this was initiated and he was killed |
13/02/1996 |
XX164 |
|
Hawk
T1A |
74(R)
Sqn |
Rolled
to one side during take off from Valley, Anglesey for the morning weather
check flight. The pilot was unable to control the aircraft and ejected.
Unfortunately his chute did not open and he was killed. The ailerons had
been left disconnected following maintenance |
14/02/1996 |
XZ455 |
001 |
Sea
Harrier F/A2 |
801
NAS |
Large
amounts of right rudder were required to maintain balanced flight during a
night approach to HMS Illustrious while operating in the Adriatic Sea
following an operational mission over Bosnia. The pilot elected to
overshoot and passed at deck level neither climbing or accelerating. The
aircraft then descended towards the sea and the pilot ejected. He was
picked up by a Sea King from the carrier |
19/02/1996 |
ZG476 |
WT |
Harrier
GR7 |
1
Sqn |
While
on final approach to Wittering, Cambridgeshire at the end of a flight from
Cyprus the engine lost power following a loud bang. The pilot ejected and
the aircraft crashed into woods at High Farm, Southorpe, three miles from
the runway. His parachute became entangled in trees but he was able to
release his harness and drop 20 feet to the ground suffering only minor
injuries. Due to failure of a blade in the second stage low pressure
turbine |
23/02/1996 |
ZD789 |
AM |
Tornado
GR1 |
9
Sqn |
Made
an emergency landing at Bruggen, Germany with the rear of the aircraft on
fire. The aircraft took the arrestor cable and the crew vacated on the
runway. The generator gear box had run dry and started the fire which
spread to the first stage fuel inlet pipe. The aircraft suffered extensive
damage and after repair assessment at St. Athan was stored at Shawbury
until scrapped during April 2002 |
23/02/1996 |
XZ445 |
721 |
Harrier
T4N |
899
NAS |
Crashed
during a training exercise while in thick fog near to the village of
Churchstanton, four miles from Wellington, Somerset thirty minutes after
take off from Yeovilton. It slid for 300 yards across fields and a road
before exploding in flames. Neither of the crew ejected and both were
killed. The cause was attributed to the pilot using an updated head up
display which differed to what he was used to |
25/02/1996 |
WZ876 |
G-BBWN |
Chipmunk
T10 |
Private |
The
engine failed immediately after take off from Netherthorpe,
Nottinghamshire due to the carburettor icing up. The aircraft belly
flopped onto a hedge which contained a small stone wall that effectively
destroyed the aircraft. The fuselage came to rest on its left hand side
almost inverted but with little damage to the cockpit and engine areas.
The two crew received minor injuries |
26/02/1996 |
ZD845 |
AF |
Tornado
GR1 |
9
Sqn |
While
on an air test from Bruggen the pilot attempted to divert to Laarbruch due
to a fire warning. While on approach the aircraft failed to respond to
control inputs and the crew
were forced to eject. The aircraft crashed eight miles south of Laarbruch
west of Kamp Lintford, between Geldern and Issum, Germany. An 18
Squadron Chinook rescued the crew who were only slightly injured. A hot
gas leak had started afire in the rear of the aircraft which had damaged
the flying controls |
03/1996 |
XZ302 |
|
Gazelle
AH1 |
Ex
655 Sqn |
The
aircraft was delivered to Fleetlands for overhaul from 655 Sqn during 1992
after suffering a heavy landing at Aldergrove. After being stripped down
an accumulation of previously carried out squadron level
minor repairs were discovered which, when added
together rendered the aircraft beyond economical repair. It was put into
store until being withdrawn from use on this date and was broken up for
spares |
09/04/1996 |
XX388 |
|
Gazelle
AH1 |
Ex
1 Regt |
The
aircraft was delivered to Fleetlands from Gutersloh on this date for
overhaul. After being stripped down an accumulation of previously carried
out squadron level
minor repairs were discovered which, when added
together rendered the aircraft beyond economical repair |
13/05/1996 |
ZF270 |
|
Tucano
T1 |
1
FTS |
Crashed
at Wet Wang near Great Driffield, Humberside after the propeller detached
in flight. The student and instructor ejected safely |
26/05/1996 |
XX302 |
TI |
Hawk
T1A |
74
Sqn |
Four Hawks were the final element of an airfield attack during the
‘Tiger Meet’ at Beja. After breaking off following the attack the
pilot of XX302 noticed two Portuguese F-16s which were acting as top cover.
He took avoiding action but the underside of the Hawk struck and removed
approximately one foot of the port tail plane of one of the F-16s. The
F-16
managed to land but the Hawk pilot was forced to eject |
26/05/1996 |
15120 |
|
F-16B |
Esquadra
201 |
21/07/1996 |
RR299 |
HT-E |
Mosquito
T11 |
Private |
Entered
a spin during a wing over manoeuvre during its display at Barton Airfield,
Manchester. The aircraft was recovering from the spin at low level when it
crashed into dense woodland one mile from the airfield. Both crew were
killed |
24/07/1996 |
XZ362 |
GC |
Jaguar
GR1A |
54
Sqn |
The
pilot was leader of an eight ship formation operating from Eielson Air
Force base, near Fairbanks, Alaska during DACT with F-16’s as part of
exercise ‘Cope Thunder’ While rolling out of a turn 20 miles from
Eielson the aircraft struck the tops of trees on a lightly wooded ridge.
It remained controllable but the left engine was winding down. Being
unable to relight it and with other warning captions illuminating the
pilot ejected. He was picked
up by an Alaskan Air National Guard rescue team |
16/09/1996 |
ZD580 |
710 |
Sea
Harrier F/A2 |
899
NAS |
Collided
off the coast of Dorset near Portland during a one versus two Dissimilar
Air Combat Training sortie. Both aircraft managed to recover to Yeovilton.
The Sea Harrier lost the radome, radar and port stabiliser in the accident
and was assessed at CAT 4. It was sent to St. Athan for store in October,
and then to Warton for mods and repair during September 2001. With the
announcement in 2002 that the Sea Harrier fleet was to be withdrawn the
mods were terminated on 5th March and the aircraft returned to St. Athan in
June 2002 for spares recovery and later to a private collector at Sproughton,
Suffolk |
16/09/1996 |
J-139 |
|
F-16A |
323
Sqn |
18/09/1996 |
XX143 |
X |
Jaguar
T2A |
16(R)
Sqn |
Suffered
failure of No. 2 engine during a paired take off from Lossiemouth,
Grampian. The pilot jettisoned the two fuel tanks, which exploded on the
runway, in an attempt to gain height. This failed and he ejected at 50
feet. The aircraft crashed into the sea 400 yards off the beach. The pilot
was quickly rescued from the water by a 202 Squadron Sea King |
28/09/1996 |
ZE759 |
|
Tornado
F3 |
BAe
Warton |
Following
an overshoot at Blackpool Airport during a test flight from Warton,
Lancashire the aircraft began to roll uncontrollably. Both crew ejected
and the aircraft crashed into the sea 60 yards off Blackpool Pleasure
Beach. One crew member landed in the water and was picked up by a
lifeboat. The other landed on the beach. Caused by a small object which
had jammed to taileron control. A lengthy rebuild had recently been
completed on the Tornado using the centre fuselage from Tornado F2 ZD904 |
02/10/1996 |
XP282 |
G-BGTC |
Auster
AOP9 |
Private |
The
aircraft landed a long way down the runway at South Lodge Farm
airstrip, Nottinghamshire and the pilot decided to go round again. The
aircraft failed to climb sufficiently to clear cars which were parked on
the western end of the strip and the left wing struck the roof of one of
the cars. The pilot was unable to maintain control and it stalled and
crashed into the adjoining field. The two crew escaped without injury |
03/10/1996 |
ZA765 |
|
Gazelle
AH1 |
25
Flt |
Aircrew
and troops in Belize are trained regularly in the art of jungle
extrication in the event of a rescue being required. Part of their
equipment consists of a balloon and a canister of chemicals which when
water is added produces a gas which inflates the balloon. This rises above
the trees therefore the rescuing helicopter can locate the aircrew or
troops on the ground. During these exercises ZA765 was regularly used and
the waste chemical canisters were stowed in the rear of the aircraft.
During routine maintenance it was discovered that the chemicals had burnt
through the floor, damaging the structure and flying controls. To
Fleetlands but it was deemed uneconomical to repair and was disposed of
during September 1999 |
16/12/1996 |
XZ492 |
127 |
Sea
Harrier F/A2 |
800
NAS |
Came
alongside the carrier to land while operating in the Mediterranean Sea.
The pilot could not maintain the hover and the aircraft continued to
descend. Full power was applied but the pilot was forced to eject when it
descended below the deck level of the ship seconds before it struck the
water |