ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 161651
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| Date: | Friday 30 November 1962 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Hawker Siddeley P.1127 Harrier |
| Owner/operator: | Hawker Siddeley Aircrsaft Ltd |
| Registration: | XP972 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | RAF Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Dunsfold, Surrey (EGTD) |
| RAF Tangmere, West Sussex | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
XP972 first flown 5.4.62 On 20.8.62 it was transferred to Contract KC/2Q/017/ CB.9(c) in aid of Kestrel development, although loaned to Hawker Siddeley Aircraft to appear at the 1962 SBAC Show at Farnborough in early September [see link #5]
It crashed on 30.11.1962: During a high G turn the engine suffered a bearing failure which started a fire in the rear fuselage. Made a successful un-powered belly landing at Tangmere, Sussex. The pilot was HSA test pilot Hugh Merewether (1924-2006). The following description of this crash is extracted from his obituary:
"The P.1127 had its share of accidents. On October 30 1962 Merewether was flying at 3,000 ft when the engine suffered a catastrophic failure and caught fire. Rather than eject, he managed to crash-land at RAF Tangmere, thus allowing the engineers to investigate the failure fully. He was awarded a Queen's Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air; the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators awarded him the Derry and Richards Memorial Medal (1963)."
After a long delay while repair options were being considered, SOC on 15.7.64.
Sources:
1. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1962.htm
2. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1531511/Hugh-Merewether.html
3. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1291690/
4. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_2010.pdf
5. https://www.airhistory.net/photo/139877/XP972 [XP972 at Farnborough 7.9.1962]
6. https://dunsfoldairfield.org/kestrels-where-are-they-now/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Siddeley_P.1127
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Tangmere#Postwar
Media:
Hawker Siddeley P.1127 Harrier XP972. The third prototype which first flew on 5 April 1962.pic.twitter.com/8L9Z3MfjQi
— Ron Eisele (@ron_eisele) November 4, 2022
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2013 03:06 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 24-Oct-2013 03:09 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Embed code] |
| 16-Apr-2014 23:04 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 24-Dec-2015 20:51 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location] |
| 23-Feb-2018 20:23 | JR79th | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Jul-2023 20:29 | Nepa | Updated [[Source, Narrative]] |
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