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Date: | Saturday 25 May 1957 |
Time: | |
Type: | Hawker Hunter F Mk 4 |
Owner/operator: | 74 (Tiger) Sqn RAF |
Registration: | XE662 |
MSN: | HABL003005 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | RAF Horsham St. Faith, Norwich, Norfolk, England -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | Landing |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Horsham St. Faith, Norfolk |
Destination airport: | RAF Horsham St. Faith, Norfolk |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:During Exercise "Vigilant", on 25th May 1957 at RAF Horsham St Faith, Javelin Mk4 XA732, when taxiing, had a fuel tank attachment fail causing the tank to drag on the ground. As the Javelin’s favourite habit was catching fire, this one also kept to the script and wrote itself off; thus the ATC called out a warning to the Javelin that it was on fire.
Two Hunter Mk4 aircraft of 74 Squadron reacted to the ATC call; both aircraft were written off but no one died. XE661 abandoned take off, overshot the runway and went through a hedge into a field. XE662 was in the circuit and the pilot - Flying Officer Anthony P. Hilton - tried to set it down pronto but made a mess of it (probably not helped by the undoubted Chinese Writing in his underpants!). He bounced hard, the Hunter's nose section broke away, the ejector seat fired (injuring his arm - the ejection seat hit the ground with him still strapped in it) and the Hunter (now without its driver) finished its career demolishing the wall of an airmans’ block.
Sources:
www.ukserials.com/losses-1957.htm http://www.ejectorseats.co.uk/multiple_eject.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20170421194235/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/PROJECT/YEAR_Pages/1957.htm#may
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
10-Jan-2009 11:55 |
ASN archive |
Added |
15-Mar-2012 23:05 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
16-Aug-2012 08:40 |
Nepa |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location] |
18-Jul-2021 09:24 |
Anon. |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator] |