Date:	Monday 2 September 1957
Time:	day
Type:	Hawker Hunter F Mk 5
Owner/operator:	34 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WP142
MSN:	S4/U/3021
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Biggin Hill, Kent, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Biggin Hill, Kent
Destination airport:	RAF Tangmere, West Sussex
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Hawker Hunter F.Mk.5 WP142: Delivered 18/5/1955 to 5 MU RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire. Sole operational service was with 34 Squadron, RAF Tangmere as "L" later "W")

Written off 2/9/1957: WP142 was seen to be leaking fuel on take off from RAF Biggin Hill, Kent. Air Traffic Control ordered the pilot of WP142 to immediately cut his engine. The Hunter sank back onto the runway at Biggin Hill and some hard braking was applied. However, the aircraft still overran the end of the runway at Biggin Hill, and the heat from the brakes ignited the fuel leak.

When the fire spread to the underwing tanks, the fire took hold, and the aircraft was destroyed by fire. Pilot managed to vacate the aircraft manually, once it had stopped, and was unhurt

34 Squadron lost three Hunter F.Mk.5s at Biggin Hill in the space of four days - WP140 on 30/8/1957, and two on 2/9/1957 (WP142 and WP192)

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.192 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 81)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.292
4. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1957.htm
5. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1950-1959_26.html
6. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WP

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Jan-2009 11:55	ASN archive	Added
21-Mar-2012 09:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
17-Aug-2012 02:54	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location]
10-Aug-2020 20:38	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative]
26-Jun-2023 21:16	Nepa	Updated [[Time, Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative]]