ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55566
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: | Friday 21 September 1979 |
| Time: | 09:55 |
| Type: |  Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 |
| Owner/operator: | 1 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | XZ128 |
| MSN: | 71218 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Ramnoth Road, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE13 2JA -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Wittering (EGXT) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
An RAF plane crashed onto houses in a Cambridgeshire town, killing two men and a young boy. Both the pilots ejected safely when the two Harrier jump jets collided at about 8,000 ft (2,438 m).
One of the planes broke up in midair and fell harmlessly into a field but the other dropped onto the centre of Wisbech, destroying two houses and a bungalow.
Several people were injured in the accident - including a mother and her baby who were in one of the semi-detached houses hit by the jet.
The planes - which were both from the nearby air force base at Wittering - ran into each other at 09:55 BST during a training exercise.
The Harrier that hit the town left a crater 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and 50 ft (15.2 m) deep on Ramnoth Road, and only narrowly missed two schools and the town's college of further education in adjoining streets.
Local Liberal MP Clement Freud said it was a "miracle" the planes had not caused more death and damage.
The dead have been named as Bob Bowers (aged 40), his two-year-old son Jonathan Bowers and Bill Trumpess - a former mayor of the town, aged 73
Susan King, the head of the local primary school only 300 yards (274 m) away, said the plane had skimmed the roof of a building before exploding in a cloud of smoke that rose 100 ft (30.5 m) in the air.
The Harrier which crashed onto houses was XZ128; the pilot - later named as Flight Lieutenant Chris J Gowers - ejected safely
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20161217162442/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/harrier/harrier.htm
2. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1980/jan/15/wisbech-air-crash
3. http://www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/news/local/memories_of_harrier_crash_horror_1_448942
4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/21/newsid_2525000/2525419.stm
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Harrier_Jump_Jet_family_losses#UK_operated_Harriers
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Aug-2011 23:57 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Apr-2013 17:08 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 05-Jun-2013 17:25 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Source, Embed code, 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