ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 56508
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| Date: | Thursday 22 April 1965 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Folland Gnat T.1 |
| Owner/operator: | 4 FTS RAF |
| Registration: | XS108 |
| MSN: | FL602 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Lon Y Buarth, Carmel, Caernarfon, Gwynedd -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RAF Valley, Anglesey (VLY/EGOV) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Following a mid-air collision between Gnat T1s XS108 and XR950, during formation flying practice, XS108 crashed at Carmel south of Caernarfon. XR950 managed to fly back to Valley, Anglesey but cartwheeled on landing and was written off. Both pilots were killed.
Pilot of Gnat T1 XS108 was Flg. Off. Gavin Darrell Priest. He was killed when he ejected along ground on crash landing.
Benches In Memory ' for Flight Lt. Timothy Francis Haughton Mermagen , The Red Arrows , who died April 22, 1965. A memorial bench was later placed in Carmel:
"The two benches were placed back in the sixties in memory of the Red Arrows pilot who died in Carmel on 22 April 1965. The pilot was flying from RAF Valley in practice arrangement. Unfortunately two of the aircraft, Gnat XR950 and XS108 crashed together. The accident occurred because one of the planes, XS108 slowed down for no reason by a fall from his position in the pattern and hit XR950. Gavin Darrell Priest was the pilot in XS108. There were two pilots in XR950, a Flight Lt Timothy Francis Haughton Mermagen, as an instructor in the front seat, and pilot trainee in the back seat The trainee pilot ejected and landed safely on the mountain. Unfortunately Flight Lt. Mermagen failed to eject in the air and XR950 fell on the rear of Summerhill House Lane Playground . Lots of people saw the plane in which Flight Lt. Mermagen steered the plane away from the centre of the village to avoid disaster.
Darrell Priest in XS108 was to return back to RAF Valley as there was little damage on his plane. Unfortunately, when attempting to land, and for some inexplicable reason, tried to land his plane wheels-up, but technique is extremely difficult , and he had landed too quickly to try that technique, until her plane turning and rolling on the ground. He tried to eject, but as the aircraft was on the ground and rolling, he lost his life.
The location of the benches opposite Doris Shop site is therefore extremely important in the history of the village and has been earmarked for this brave pilot who sacrificed his life to avoid disaster . The village has a large debt to the pilot and should protect what he did."
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20121025182700/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/Aircraft_by_Type/Folland_Gnat.htm
2. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1965.htm
3. http://www.llandwrog,org (Council Minutes for 17 March 2013)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Jul-2011 11:50 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Jan-2013 15:07 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 16-Sep-2013 05:07 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Total occupants, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Sep-2013 05:09 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Mar-2016 16:44 | sculmer | Updated [Narrative] |
| 26-May-2016 14:33 | RHassall | Updated [Narrative] |
| 27-Nov-2018 20:07 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 01-Jun-2019 14:08 | shirley | Updated [Location] |
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