1956 Hawker Hunter multiple aircraft accident
Encyclopedia
On 8 February 1956 the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

 lost six Hawker Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...

 jet fighters in a multiple aircraft accident. Eight aircraft from RAF West Raynham
RAF West Raynham
RAF West Raynham was a Royal Air Force station located west of the village of West Raynham in Norfolk, England. It opened in the 1930s and closed in 1994. During the Second World War, RAF Bomber Command operations from RAF West Raynham claimed 86 aircraft. The site was sold by the Ministry of...

 had been carrying out a 4x4 dogfight
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...

 exercise at 45000 foot. Upon completion of the exercise the eight Hunters diverted to RAF Marham
RAF Marham
Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....

 but due to bad weather six of the aircraft were lost including one fatality.

Accident

The eight Hunter F1s from the Day Fighter Leader Squadron of the Central Fighter Establishment
Central Fighter Establishment
The Central Fighter Establishment was a Royal Air Force formation that dealt with the development Fighter aircraft tactics. It also tested new fighter aircraft and equipment. It also dealt with the training of squadron and flight commanders. It was formed on 1 October 1944 as part of No. 12 Group...

 departed RAF West Raynham
RAF West Raynham
RAF West Raynham was a Royal Air Force station located west of the village of West Raynham in Norfolk, England. It opened in the 1930s and closed in 1994. During the Second World War, RAF Bomber Command operations from RAF West Raynham claimed 86 aircraft. The site was sold by the Ministry of...

, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 at 10:50 to carry out the exercise at 45000 foot in the local area. Due to the expected bad weather later in the day the aircraft were scheduled to return to West Raynham overhead by 11:15. By 11:00 the weather at West Raynham had deteriorated with poor visibilityand the aircraft were told to divert to nearby RAF Marham
RAF Marham
Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....

 for a visual approach.

The visibility suddenly reduced but due to the close proximity of the aircraft to each other it was not possible to complete Ground Controlled Approaches. In the following confusion and with only 10 minutes of fuel remaining, only two aircraft landed successfully.

WT629
Descended to 600 foot, but, unable to see the ground, he climbed away to 4000 foot and ejected with the aircraft crashing into a field 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Swaffham
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...

.

WT639
Descended to 600 foot, but, unable to see the ground, he climbed away. The pilot ejected when the engine flamed out. The aircraft crashed into a forest 2+1/2 mi southwest of Swaffham.

WW633
Descended to 500 foot, but, unable to see the ground, he climbed away. The pilot ejected when the engine flamed out. The aircraft crashed into a field 3+1/2 mi northwest of Swaffham.

WW639
Descended to 250 foot, but, unable to see the ground, he climbed away. The pilot ejected when fuel was exhausted. The aircraft crashed 3 miles (5 km) south of Swaffham.

WW635
Crashed 4+1/2 mi northwest of Swaffham, pilot killed.

WW603
Belly-landed following engine flame-out just east of the airfield, pilot unhurt.

Aftermath

Questions were asked in Parliament about the loss of six aircraft worth £750,000 and the suspicion that the Mark 1 and 2 Hunters "are liable to be deficient in fuel if a crisis arises". Concern was also raised about the carrying out the exercise in the expected weather conditions.

Investigation

The Board of Inquiry reported that the primary cause of the accident was the sudden deterioration in the weather. The board also said it was an error of judgement to divert the aircraft to Marham on the assumption that they could do a visual landing.

It decided that the decision to fly in the weather conditions was proper and reasonable, the pilots were all competent, the aircraft were serviceable and had adequate fuel and endurance for the planned mission.

The Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...

-in-Chief Fighter Command decided that disciplinary action should be taken against officers in charge of flying operations at West Raynham. One officer was reproved and removed from his job and three other officers were reproved.
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