ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 21166
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 18 August 1955 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Supermarine Swift F.4 |
| Owner/operator: | Vickers Armstrong (Supermarine) Ltd |
| Registration: | WK272 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Paddockhurst Road, Turners Hill, Crawley, West Sussex -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Chilbolton, Hampshire |
| Chilbolton, Hampshire | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Supermarine Swift F.Mk.4 WK272: Notified as awaiting collection 4/10/54, and delivered 3/11/54 to the A&AEE at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. Later returned to Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) at Chilbolton, Hampshire for handling trials.
Written off (damaged beyond repair) when abandoned in spin on 18/8/1955, and crashed at Paddockhurst Road, Turners Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, while involved in intentional spinning trials. A spin developed from which the pilot was unable to recover. After attempting to jettison the canopy, the pilot found that it would not separate until the seal was deflated. Aircraft struck trees and a bungalow. Three civilians injured.
According to a contemporary local newspaper report ("Belfast News-Letter", Antrim, Northern Ireland - Thursday 18 August 1955):
"An experimental Vickers Supermarine Swift jet aircraft crashed in a wood on Paddock Hurst Estate, Turners Hill, Sussex, yesterday, and caught fire. The pilot. Mr. G. J. Horne (29), baled out and landed unhurt at a farm two miles away, but a Boy Scout who was walking in a lane was slightly injured by flying metal."
There were actually five Boy Scouts involved, the other four, two sets of brothers Coopers and Murphys, the location was “Back Lane” Turners Hill. The jet crashed less than twenty yards from where the scouts were standing, and it was a minor miracle that nobody died. I was one of the scouts, Paul Cooper. I still freeze in terror when a low flying jet goes over, unless I can see it.
Struck off Charge 22/9/1955 at Boscombe Down and scrapped. Pilot: Gordon Joseph "Chunky" Horne (aged 29) ejected OK. The same pilot later ejected from Swift Mk.5 XD909 on 25/06/56. A cockpit section of a Supermarine Swift at the Solent Sky Museum in Southampton is claimed to be all that remains of Swift WK272.
Sources:
1. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WK
2. https://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?63596-Swift-Crash
3. http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/swift/survivor.php?id=606
4. http://web.archive.org/web/20170624000012/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com:80/Swift.html
5. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?21513-quot-Brooklands-quot-Caterpillar-List&p=125871&styleid=3
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Jun-2008 21:39 | JINX | Added |
| 28-Feb-2011 14:17 | Anon. | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Dec-2012 14:59 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-May-2020 23:09 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 31-May-2020 18:52 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative] |
| 09-Dec-2021 17:12 | Pecooper | Updated [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