ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 233044
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Thursday 12 July 1956 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Westland Wyvern S Mk 4 |
| Owner/operator: | 703 Sqn FAA RN |
| Registration: | VZ782 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | RNAS Ford, (HMS Peregrine) Yapton, Arundel, West Sussex -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RNAS Ford, (HMS Peregrine) Yapton, West Sussex |
| RNAS Ford, (HMS Peregrine) Yapton, West Sussex | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Westland Wyvern VZ782 [082/FD] 703 Squadron, FAA RN: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 12 July 1956 when crashed short of the runway at RNAS Ford, (HMS Peregrine) Yapton, Arundel, West Sussex. Pilot survived although injured. According to a contemporary newspaper report ("Littlehampton Gazette" - Friday 13 July 1956)
"Test pilot is hurt in in plane crash
MR. DUNCAN McINTOSH, a Littlehampton test pilot, was injured when a Westland Wyvern torpedo strike aircraft force-landed about 250 yards short of the western end of Ford runway yesterday afternoon. He is detained in the Royal West Sussex Hospital, Chichester, with back injuries.
Apparently his engine caught fire at about 1,500 feet a few minutes' flying time away from Ford. After the engine had been switched off and the fire put out, he was unable to restart the engine and attempted to glide back to the aerodrome. The aircraft bounced several times in a freshly-mown hayfield, carried away a small pine tree and finally came to rest in a neighbouring corn field about 50 yards from the first impact. The spinner and contra-rotating airscrews were torn off and embedded themselves in the ground a short distance from the aircraft, which was otherwise intact and had made a perfect belly-landing "according to the book." The pine tree was blackened with the heat of the engine and the top of the tree became entangled with the fin and rudder.
During the afternoon the aircraft, which was guarded by two naval ratings from the air station, was inspected by two officers. Although at least 20 people were working nearby, only two or three saw the accident. Said a County roadman: "It came gliding down and just cleared us. The pilot was knocked out, but I don't think that he was seriously injured."
Pulled pilot out
Mr. F. Forester, a builder, was cycling along a lane near the spot where the plane crashed. He said that the slipstream nearly knocked him off his cycle. He ran across the field and pulled the pilot out.
Mrs. McIntosh, on hearing of the crash, rushed to her husband who was in the sick quarters at the Naval Station. He was later transferred to Chichester. Mr. Mclntosh is a civilian maintenance pilot at Ford engaged on testing service after overhauls. He came to Littlehampton from Edinburgh, where he was a civil servant, last September with his wife and two children, and now lives in Cornwall-road. During the war he flew Spitfires".
The wrecked Wyvern was removed to RNAS Bramcote (HMS Gamecock) near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, but was scrapped by 1959 when the Navy left the base
Sources:
1. Littlehampton Gazette - Friday 13 July 1956
2, http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VZ
3. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=13289.0
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bramcote#Royal_Navy_operations
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Feb-2020 16:32 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 18-Feb-2020 16:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 18-Feb-2020 20:44 | Iwosh | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation