Date:	Saturday 12 January 1952
Time:	approx 15.00
Type:	Vickers Valiant B.1
Owner/operator:	A&AEE Boscombe Down
Registration:	WB210
MSN:	660/01
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Harrow Wood, Bransgore, 5 miles NE of Christchurch, Hampshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Test
Departure airport:	Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Dorset (BOH/EGHH)
Destination airport:	Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Dorset (BOH/EGHH)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
WB210 was the first prototype Vickers Valiant. It first flew from Brooklands on the 18th of May 1951, flown by Vickers' chief test pilot 'Mutt' Summers and 'Jock' Bryce.

On 12th January 1952 it was operating from Hurn Airport, test flying, making internal noise measurements. This involved shutting down and re-igniting its engines, which caused fuel to leak into the starboard wing (I've also seen it said that it was the port wing) and a severe fire to break out in the trailing edge, which burned through the starboard wing. Being unable to extinguish the fire and losing control of the Valiant, the decision was made to abandon the aircraft at about 6,000 feet over Holmsley South Airfield, north-east of Christchurch. Both the pilot, Vickers' chief test pilot Gabe Robb Bryce, and the RAF co-pilot, Sqn Ldr B.H.D.Foster, had the benefit of ejector seats with which to do so. Foster jettisoned the canopy and ejected first but unfortunately his ejector seat collided with the tail fin of the Valiant and he was killed.

One source says that this may have been the result of the blast from an exploding fuel tank reducing his ejection speed to an untenable level and thus not clearing the tail structure. However another suggests the early Martin Baker ejection seats fitted to the Valiant had insufficient power and speed to be certain of them clearing the tail. It is noted that more powerful ejection seats were fitted to subsequent aircraft as well as modifications being made to the Valiant's fuel and fire precaution systems. The three test flight observers (G.R.Holland, J.N.Montgomery and J.Protheroe-Thomas) in the rear cabin did not have ejector seats and whilst they had difficulty getting out of the Valiant, they were able to do so and landed safely by parachute. When they had left the Valiant, Bryce ejected, using his ejector seat, and landed successfully. The Valiant crashed in Harrow Wood, Bransgore, and was destroyed.

Fuel spillage into wing following three unsuccessful relight trials of in-flight fire. Aircraft abandoned when fire began to ignite structure. Crashed in Harrow Wood. Crew bailed out. Pilot CTP Gabe Robb (Jock) Bryce (30) ejected safely. Co-Pilot RAF liaison officer B.H.D. Foster killed when ejection seat struck tailfin.

However according to one eyewitness:

"The last part of this report is incorrect. The co-pilot's ejection seat operated correctly, and both pilots were well clear of the aircraft. I watched the whole event unfolding, and at no time did the ejection seats pass anywhere near the tail fin".

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.149 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 405
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 77)
4. "Sole British Jet Atom Bomber Crashes." New York Times, 13 January 1952.
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File 5/32/S2557: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578403
6. https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/memorial/entry.php?id=214
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_Valiant#Accidents_and_incidents
8. https://www.baesystems.com/en-uk/heritage/vickers-valiant
9. https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/valiant/history.php?comm_page=6
10. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=19304.0

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
01-Jun-2008 01:29	JINX	Added
26-Jan-2013 15:36	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Narrative]
29-Sep-2013 19:34	TB	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]
13-Oct-2013 13:00	Nepa	Updated [Operator]
16-Nov-2013 17:31	TB	Updated [Operator]
11-Feb-2014 06:33	Nepa	Updated [Operator]
21-Aug-2014 07:09	Anon.	Updated [Narrative]
14-Apr-2020 19:13	The Majors Batman	Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport]
09-Dec-2020 18:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]