ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 155517
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| Date: | Wednesday 17 March 1982 |
| Time: | 14:00 LT |
| Type: |  Hawker Hunter T.12 |
| Owner/operator: | RAE Farnborough |
| Registration: | XE531 |
| MSN: | 41H/679906 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Farnborough Airfield, Farnborough, Hampshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Farnborough Airfield, Farnborough, Hampshire (EGLF) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
XE531 was the "one off" Hawker Hunter T.12. This unique one-off was a Hunter F.Mk.6 converted by Hawker to two seats. Initially fitted with Head-Up Display for TSR2 trials but later used for research by RAE Farnborough and RRE Bedford for Harrier avionics tests
Written off 17/03/1982: Crashed on take off from Farnborough, Hants after the engine exploded due to the 11th stage compressor disc disintegrating. The crew - Flt. Lt. Rod Sears and Mr. John Leng - ejected but suffered major injuries
Per eyewitness report:
"I was ATC supervisor at Farnborough on the morning of the crash. John Leng phoned from Brough asking about the weather as the Green Hunter, being fitted with an early 'fly by wire' control system, (and not called Kermit as far as I'm aware) wasn't cleared to fly if lightning was forecast; I told him there was CB activity forecast but not lightning.
I was just going off duty about 2 pm when they taxied out, unusually it was kept in 'A' Shed near the tower rather than in west or south area, but having seen Hunter takeoffs before (and experienced one in XF321 with Terry Adcock) I didn't bother to stay and watch. The tower controller remarked afterwards that he thought it was unusual to see the flame of reheat in a Hunter, (the tower then being at one end of the runway) then twigged that reheat wasn't installed!
I only found out about it when I saw BBC 'South Today' that evening.
COEF gave us a rundown at morning briefing about the incident. Apparently Rod Sears had detected a lack of power just after he rotated and not knowing there'd been a catastrophic turbine disc failure almost severing the fuselage, tried to relight no less than 3 times before he gave the order to eject. The two pilots came down in the pool of burning fuel behind the wreckage and both had a case of 'sunburn' on their faces, which were the only exposed skin areas, but certainly neither was killed"
Rod Sears was awarded a Green Endorsement for his handling of the event, which occurred at just about the worst possible moment but with both guys getting out alive.
Footnote: What is not widely known is that Hunter XE531 also made an appearance in the 1966 film "Modesty Blaise" Starring Monica Vitti (Modesty Blaise) Terence Stamp (Willie Garvin) Dirk Bogarde (Gabriel) and Harry Andrews (Tarrant) (see links #9 and #10)
Sources:
1. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1982.htm
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103052649/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/PROJECT/YEAR_Pages/1982.htm#mar
3. https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/487661-hawker-hunter-called-kermit-crash.html
4. https://www.flickr.com/photos/24101413@N03/12915058324
5. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/registration/XE531
6. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=10973.0
7. https://www.airhistory.net/photo/19963/XE531
8. https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/hunter/profiles.php
9. http://www.impdb.org/index.php?title=Modesty_Blaise#Hawker_Hunter_T.12
10. Screengrabs of XE531 in the 1966 film "Modesty Blaise": http://www.impdb.org/index.php?title=File:ModestyBlaise_Hunter_go.jpg and http://www.impdb.org/index.php?title=File:ModestyBlaise_Hunter_XE531.jpg
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Apr-2013 17:48 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 05-Mar-2014 19:45 | Thom Beer | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Apr-2014 17:43 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 25-Aug-2014 16:46 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 17-Feb-2020 16:48 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Feb-2020 16:49 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source] |
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