ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55545
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| Date: | Saturday 19 November 1983 |
| Time: | approx 1100 |
| Type: |  Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 |
| Owner/operator: | 1453 Flt RAF |
| Registration: | XV762 |
| MSN: | 712025 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Lafonia, S. of Goose Green, East Falkland -
 Falkland Islands
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Stanley |
The Harrier was on a fighter evasion sortie with four other Harriers and had been engaged by a Phantom. It struck the ground under power in a right hand turn and exploded on Lafonia south of Goose Green, East Falkland Islands. The pilot - Flight Lieutenant Byron Stewart CLEW - made no attempt to eject and was killed.
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This was a 4v2 Low Level Evasion exercise south of Goose Green. 2 F4’s were providing the “bounce.” The weather was fine, good viz and a relatively high overcast. The GR3’s were fitted with AAR probes and the handling characteristics of the aircraft were discussed in the briefing – this was a tendency to roll to the right and yaw to the left as ADD was increased.
We were heading about 240° in “offset card” formation (2 pairs, the second approximately 30 seconds trail and offset to the right) and Byron (No.3) was the southern aircraft in the rear pair. When the F4’s tried to get a PD lock, “Spoke 2” was called. We all “bustered” (SOP) and shortly afterwards we all reacted with an “inplace” turn to port when locked again, before resuming the original heading after several seconds.
Very soon afterwards, 2 F4’s were visually acquired to the north-west at about 2,000’, heading roughly east, and after a few seconds they commenced a slack right turn in a gentle descent looking for us. They locked one/both of the rear pair who threw another “inplace” turn to port before, again, resuming track.
Meanwhile, the front pair extended for approximately 30 seconds in order to get an offset from the F4’s before a turnabout 180 starboard to threaten them from the SW – we rolled out heading about 060° coming back towards the rear pair above 500’ AGL to deconflict.
Shortly after this I picked up Byron on a reciprocal heading in my low 1 o’clock at about 1.5 km just as the rear pair started a counter to starboard – the F4’s were north-east of them. Byron was much lower than me. The initial part of his turn appeared normal as he passed under my nose, but as I re-acquired him visually in my 11 o’clock, he struck the ground after approximately 90° of his right turn with the aircraft rolling right on impact and then inverted as it broke up in a protracted fireball on a NNW heading. I turned the F95 PFO camera on and caught the latter part of the impact on film as I passed abeam. One part of the engine (I think the complete first-stage LP disc) was thrown into the air and flew for several hundred yards to the north.
No.4 was sent home and No.2 followed soon afterwards to co-ordinate matters. I transmitted a “Mayday Relay” and sat in the overhead while a helicopter (Bristows I think) was diverted to the site. The pilot landed and then very kindly reported that Flight Lieutenant Byron Clew had not survived
While I was waiting for the helicopter, I monitored the BBC on the HF radio and heard them report the accident almost immediately. Their ill-judged report caused great anguish among several families in UK and RAFG. “Auntie” had really upset many military personnel during “Op Corporate” and they obviously hadn’t learnt anything since then!
@anon No.1 , could you please reach out to me, I am the surviving nephew of Byron, I never got to meet the man and have heard so much, it would be good to hear more about my uncle and this event. lee@ttl-tech.co.uk
Sources:
http://web.archive.org/web/20111206134315/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/modintranet/publications/aircraftAccidents/Harrier.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20161217162442/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/harrier/harrier.htm
www.ukserials,com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Harrier_Jump_Jet_family_losses
Halley, James J (2001). Royal Air Force Aircraft XA100 to XZ999. Air-Britain. ISBN 0-85130-311-0.
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Aug-2011 00:30 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Sep-2012 02:51 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Source] |
| 23-Jul-2022 05:44 | Anon. | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 11-Nov-2023 13:04 | Anon. | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
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