| 21/01/1999 | ZA330 | B-08 | Tornado GR1 | TTTE | The Tornado collided with the Cessna from behind at 500 ft near Everton, Lincolnshire. The Cessna had two occupants on board and was photographing properties in the area. The Tornado was outbound from Cottesmore with an Italian pilot and an RAF instructor on board. All four occupants were killed when the aircraft collided although one seat was ejected from the Tornado but this was as a result of the collision and was not initiated by the crew. This was the last conversion course before the closure of the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment |
| 21/01/1999 | G-BPZX | Cessna 152 II | Private | ||
| 29/01/1999 | ZG856 | 88 | Harrier GR7 | 3 Sqn | Struck the ground belly first while under power during a five aircraft formation in a mountain range area on the Nellis Range, Nevada, USA during a Red Flag exercise. The pilot ejected 3-4 seconds before the aircraft impacted the ground and received serious injuries. The aircraft disintegrated and the wreckage was spread over a wide area |
| 04/02/1999 | ZD326 | 07 | Harrier GR7 | 3 Sqn | The aircraft was returning to Laarbruch, Germany following a test flight when it disappeared from radar as the pilot was changing radio frequency from Dusseldorf to Laarbruch approach. He ejected before the aircraft impacted the ground at Wamb near Sonsbeck |
| 05/03/1999 | XX666 | 08 | Bulldog T1 | 12 AEF | The pilot was practising engine failures after take off from Leuchars, Fife. The aircraft turned first to the left and then to the right and then began to decent rapidly. It then struck the grass heavily on the north side of the airfield causing the undercarriage to collapse. Both crew were able to escape from the aircraft unaided and were taken to Dundee hospital. With the impending replacement of the Bulldog it was not repaired and was sent to Newton for store. It was eventually sold to a businessman in Florida for spares for his Bulldog fleet. The pilot was also involved in the incident involving XX665 on 20/03/1997 |
| 18/05/1999 | XZ199 | Lynx AH7 | 656 Sqn | Crashed near to a farm at Tilton on the Hill approximately nine miles east of Leicester just north of the A47 after the cockpit had filled with smoke. This had prevented the crew from seeing the ground and during the subsequent emergency landing the pilot flared the aircraft too early. It struck the ground, bounced, caught fire and burnt out when it struck the ground for a second time. Though seriously injured the pilot managed to crawl from the aircraft. Tragically the three other crew were killed. The pilot was flown to Leicester hospital by police helicopter. Investigation showed that the engine had failed after a bearing failure. This caused a bolt to be thrown into atomised hydraulic fluid which had collected under the main gearbox from an unrelated leak. Two explosions occurred followed by a fire. The crew had received two low pressure warnings on the gauge but as pressure returned to normal this was attributed to a faulty gauge | |
| 06/1999 | XX454 | Gazelle AH1 | Ex 3 Regt | During operations in Bosnia in 1997 the aircraft suffered severe vibration problems. These could not be cured on base and the aircraft was eventually moved to Westlands at Weston-super-Mare for rectification. With surplus Gazelles within the Army Air Corps it was deemed to be too costly to rectify the problem. It was therefore withdrawn from use and was transferred to Middle Wallop for disposal. The date quoted is the approximate date when the aircraft was withdrawn from use | |
| 12/06/1999 | ZG875 | Sea King HAS6 | 820 NAS | Landed for refuelling on the Spanish Navy frigate ‘Reina Sofia’ during exercise ‘JMC 99/2’. With the engines still running the ship altered course. The Sea Kings heading correction system detected the change and while tethered to the deck the aircraft attempted to turn. This caused severe twisting and buckling of the airframe particularly along the tail section. The four crew escaped unhurt and the ship put into Faslane to offload the aircraft. It was transported by road the Flight Safety and Accident Investigation Unit at Yeovilton arriving there on 17th June. Damage was initially assessed as CAT 4 but with the surplus of Sea Kings in the Navy due to the delivery of Merlins it was deemed to be damaged beyond economical repair and was delivered to the Navy training school at HMS Sultan, Gosport during November 2000 as A2629 | |
| 06/06/1999 | ZJ201 | Hawk 200RDA | BAe Warton | The aircraft was displaying at Bratislava as part of the Slovakian International Air show and as part of a British Aerospace Hawk 200 promotion tour. The test pilot entered a barrel roll too low the roll was too tight and the exit speed was too fast and at the wrong angle. It suffered a high speed stall, struck the ground and bounced clipping a building, killing a woman spectator. It bounced again and finally struck the ground and was destroyed. The pilot did not eject and was also killed | |
| 11/06/1999 | XV298 | Hercules C1 | LTW | Crashed during a night take off from Kukes, Albania with about 20 SAS men on board. The load of Land Rovers, motorcycles, grenades and ammunition was too heavy. and began to shift also due to the short runway the momentum achieved on take-off was not great enough. The pilot quickly realised he was in danger of stalling and made an instant decision to try and land the plane. He managed to put the C-130 back on the ground but it broke it’s back in the process. Minutes later, the Land Rovers, packed with ammunition and fuel, exploded staring a fire. This engulfed the aircraft and all that remained was the tail. Remarkably, everyone escaped with their lives, although an SAS soldier suffered major burns. The aircraft had been on a NATO special forces mission in Kosovo following the end of Serb hostilities against the ethnic Albanians | |
| 30/06/1999 | ZG994 | Islander AL1 | 1 Flt | Crashed near the junction of the A30 and the A343 at Lopcombe Corner, a few miles west of the airfield at Middle Wallop, Hampshire after the pilot had lost control of the aircraft during a simulated engine failure after take off. The two crew escaped without serious injury. The port wing was ripped off in the accident when it struck a tree which also twisted the fuselage. The airframe was transferred from Middle Wallop to Pilatus Britten Norman at Bembridge on the Isle of Wight during October for spares recovery | |
| 09/07/1999 | ZD345 | 12 | Harrier GR7 | 4 Sqn | The Harrier was one of a pair when it apparently suffered engine failure. The pilot of the other Harrier, who was the Group Captain at Cottesmore, talked the pilot down and directed the stricken aircraft towards open farmland. The pilot then ejected and the aircraft crashed near to the A16 at Surfleet north of Spalding, Lincolnshire. The pilot was taken to hospital in Nottingham but is not thought to be seriously injured |
| 14/07/1999 | ZG532 | 86 | Harrier GR7 | 3 Sqn | Crashed at Cornhill-on-Tweed just across the river from Coldstream, Northumberland. The pilot ejected after loss of control during air combat manoeuvres and was seen by his wingman walking through a field. He was later airlifted to the Borders General Hospital in Galashields |
| 01/08/1999 | XR674 | G-TOMG 'XW428' | Jet Provost T4 | Private | Crashed at Woolaston, Gloucestershire killing both crew members. The aircraft was operating out of Staverton and was giving pleasure flights to local pilots |
| 11/09/1999 | ZA767 | Gazelle AH1 | 25 Flt | Force landed into the jungle in Belize. Fortunately the pilot managed to put the aircraft down in some reed beds which greatly softened the impact and the four occupants escaped safely. Returned by ship to the UK and went to Middle Wallop for crash investigation. Later sold to a private collector at Sproughton, Suffolk | |
| 14/10/1999 | ZD809 | BA | Tornado GR1 | 14 Sqn (15 Sqn loan) | Crashed between Ingoe and Kirkheaton, Cumbria killing both crew. The aircraft was totally destroyed and wreckage was spread over three fields |
| 16/10/1999 | XT630 | G-BXRL | Scout AH1 | Private | Suffered engine failure and ditched into a water filled quarry at Tarmac Quarry, Hearts Hill, Mancetter, near Atherstone, Warwickshire. It became inverted but the three occupants were able to swim to safety before the aircraft sank. It remained submerged for about a month before being recovered. To Thruxton for spares |
| 20/10/1999 | XZ381 | D | Jaguar GR3 | 16(R) Sqn | Ditched into the Moray Firth six miles north of Lossiemouth, Grampian after the pilot, who was the station commander at Lossiemouth, was forced to eject while attempting to recover the aircraft back to base after it had suffered hydraulic failure resulting in being unable to lower the undercarriage. Another Jaguar was shepherding the aircraft but the pilot elected to eject rather than risk crashing in a populated area after control difficulties were also experienced. It sank in 200ft of water but a salvage operation was begun to recover the aircraft. The pilot was in the water for 15 minutes before being rescued by a 202 Sqn Sea King HAR3 and was taken to Nottingham hospital although he was not seriously inured |
| 22/10/1999 | XX193 | CB | Hawk T1A | 100 Sqn | Clipped a railway bridge and smashed into a barn next to an empty holiday home north of Shap between Penrith and Kendal, Cumbria killing the two crew. A motorist, who was crossing the bridge at the time, suffered cuts, bruises and burns when his van was struck by debris. The West Coast railway line and the adjacent A6 road were both closed while debris was recovered |
| 17/11/1999 | ZE830 | Tornado F3 | F3OEU | The left hand engine began to break up and exploded. This damaged the right hand engine therefore both crew ejected The aircraft crashed into the North Sea approximately 20 miles east of St. Abbs Head, Borders. The crew landed on dry land and were picked up by a 202 Squadron Sea King from Boulmer |
