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Date: | Tuesday 10 May 1955 |
Time: | day |
Type: | Supermarine Swift FR.5 |
Owner/operator: | Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE |
Registration: | WK200 |
MSN: | |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
Location: | Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, England -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | Landing |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | Boscombe Down, Wiltshire (EGDM) |
Destination airport: | Boscombe Down, Wiltshire (EGDM) |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Built as Swift F.Mk.1, but converted to become the Swift FR.5 prototype, which included a longer nose, and on board camera installations, and a modified "saw tooth" leading edge to the wing. Notified as awaiting collection 10/7/53, delivered same day to the A&AEE at Boscombe Down. Service trials of the FR.5 prototype took place at Boscombe Down from July 1953.
Written off (destroyed) 10/5/55: the Swift was being taxied back to its parking stand at Boscombe Down at the end of a test flight. The aircraft's Rolls Royce Avon engine broke up while taxiing, and the compressor and turbine blades sliced through the aircraft's fuel lines, igniting the fuel and starting a fire. The Swift was severely fire damaged, and not repaired, being struck off charge as Cat.5(c) 27/10/1955
Removed to 71 MU RAF Bicester 27/10/1955, where scrapped. As far as is known the pilot escaped uninjured.
Sources:
1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.171 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 65)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.135
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/34/S2754:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578534 5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/273:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424394 6.
http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WK 7.
http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/swift/history.php 8.
https://www.baesystems.com/en//en/heritage/vickers-supermarine-type-541-swift 9.
http://web.archive.org/web/20170624000012/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com:80/Swift.html 10.
https://www.baesystems.com/en//en/heritage/vickers-supermarine-type-541-swift 11.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_supermarine_swift.html Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
17-Jun-2008 21:07 |
JINX |
Added |
26-Jan-2013 15:31 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport] |
13-Apr-2013 23:45 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
19-Oct-2014 17:27 |
Unites |
Updated [Operator] |
12-Jan-2020 23:21 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
20-May-2020 18:30 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Source, Narrative] |
21-May-2020 17:11 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Source] |
21-May-2023 08:37 |
Nepa |
Updated [[Source]] |