ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 240078
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| Date: | Friday 22 July 1966 |
| Time: | c. |
| Type: |  English Electric Lightning F1 |
| Owner/operator: | 33 MU RAF |
| Registration: | XM135 |
| MSN: | 95031 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Location: | RAF Lyneham, Chippenham, Wiltshire, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Lyneham, Chippenham, Wiltshire |
| RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
The aircraft had been suffering persistent electrical problems when accelerating. Engineer Branch officer, Wing Commander Walter Holden was carrying out taxiing tests on the runway at RAF Lyneham, trying to replicate the problems, when he inadvertently pushed the throttle through the afterburner gate and proceeded to take off in the aircraft with the cockpit canopy removed, without radio, the undercarriage locked down and an inactivated ejector seat, narrowly missing a fuel tanker and a De Havilland Comet taking off. Being a qualified pilot but with no jet aircraft flying experience Wing Commander Holden took three circuits before successfully landing the aircraft, stopping with heavy braking with just 100 yards of the runway to spare. The aircraft was landed in a nose high attitude, scraping the tail, damaging the chute rubber encasement block and sheering the parachute cable, which had been deployed.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden%27s_Lightning_flight
https://www.neillwatson.com/historic-motorsport/accidental-fighter-pilot/
https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/lightning/survivor.php?id=30
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/70000160
Images:
Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK - 15th September 2010
Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK - 15th September 2010
Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK - 15th September 2010
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Aug-2020 06:29 | Peter Clarke | Added |
| 17-Aug-2020 13:41 | Peter Clarke | Updated [Photo] |
| 18-Aug-2020 16:28 | Peter Clarke | Updated [Photo] |
| 14-Feb-2021 16:48 | Castle | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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