ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 191624
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: | Wednesday 18 February 1959 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Gloster Javelin FAW.1 |
| Owner/operator: | 87 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | XA569 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Oosterschelde, near Halsteren, Noord-Brabant -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Brüggen, Elmpt, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany |
| RAF Brüggen, Elmpt, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Gloster Javelin FAW.1 XA569 "D" of 87 Squadron, RAF destroyed when crashed 18-02-1959: The navigator was killed after his ejection seat fired accidentally at 10,000 feet and failed to release him. The secondary firing handle safety pin not removed and the ejection unsuccessful
The aircraft crashed onto an island near Halsteren (not Katwijk-ann-zee?), after the pilot ejected safely. XA569 had been flying level but with a slight nose up attitude and a little negative 'g' applied with a speed of 0.75 Mach Near Bruggen.
As it happened, the crew of XA569 were Flt Lt Richard A.R. "Dick" Carrey (pilot) and Flt Lt. Alec Cooper (Naviagator) - the same crew that were involved in the loss of Javelin FAW.1 XA559 on 22-07-1958. According to an eyewitness report from the survivor, Flt Lt Carrey:
"After ejection from a Javelin Mk 1 in February 1959, I had a very rough ride in the ejection seat down to the auto‑separation altitude. The drogue assembly had been damaged in exiting through the plexiglas canopy, with the result that the seat was spinning and somersaulting all the way down from 42,000ft. My relief when the automatics operated perfectly turned to consternation when I pitched forward, not only out of the seat, but out of my parachute harness as well.
Luckily for me one of the thigh straps jammed in the crotch loop, and I ended up, at 10,000 feet,hanging upside down by one leg. I must confess that this was a bad moment. By hauling myself upright by the dinghy pack I was able to hook my arm through the harness and clasp my hands together before the jammed thigh strap gave way. By the time I landed, on a small island in the Scheldt estuary, I seemed to have been hanging from that arm for a very long time."
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft XA100-XZ999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 2001)
2. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 26 April 1986 (Letters page 50 col. 2 & 3)
3. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1959.htm
4. http://web.archive.org/web/20160316211646/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/PROJECT/Biographies/C/Carrey_Richard/Carrey_Richard.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Nov-2016 16:27 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
| 05-Jul-2018 05:45 | H Bos | Updated [Location, Country] |
| 12-Nov-2018 17:34 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 18-Jun-2022 19:24 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Damage, Narrative] |
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