Date:	Wednesday 8 February 1956
Time:	day
Type:	Hawker Hunter F Mk 1
Owner/operator:	CFE DFLS RAF
Registration:	WT629
MSN:	41H-665464
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Great Thornes Farm, 2 miles NW of Swaffham, Norfolk -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF West Raynham, Fakenham, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Marham, Norfolk (EGYM)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Delivered to No.5 MU, Kemble, 22-09-54. To the CFE (Central Fighter Establishment) and the DFLS (Day Fighter Leaders School) RAF (‘T’), West Raynham. Crashed at Great Thornes Farm, when it ran out of fuel after only 40 minutes flight, during diversion to Marham, and flamed out, 2 Miles NW of Swaffham, Norfolk. Pilot; Sqn, Ldr W. Ives descended to 600 feet (200 m), but, unable to see the ground, he climbed away to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) and ejected with the aircraft crashing into a field 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Swaffham ejected safely at 130 kts.

This aircraft was one of 6 lost through running out of fuel in bad weather with no suitable diversions. All but one of the pilots ejected safely. See also : WT639, WW603, WW633, WW635 & WW639.

At the end of a dog-fighting exercise, 8 aircraft diverted to RAF Marham because of poor weather at RAF West Raynham. However, the weather had also deteriorated at Marham. In the ensuing overload on the GCA facilities there, only 2 aircraft landed safely. Five successful ejections were made when their fuel ran out but one pilot (Sqn.Ldr. R.J.Tumilty aged 31yrs) was killed when WW635 crashed.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.177 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 96)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.179
4. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1956.htm
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_Hawker_Hunter_multiple_aircraft_accident
6. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%200203.html
7. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1956/apr/25/hunter-aircraft-report-of-inquiry#S5CV0551P0_19560425_CWA_74
8. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1956/mar/21/hunter-aircraft-crashes

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

18 July 1955

WT628

Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS)

1

Southwood Farm, Cove, Hampshire, England

w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Jan-2009 11:55	ASN archive	Added
30-Dec-2010 03:15	RAFOHunter	Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
04-Dec-2011 14:56	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative]
01-Mar-2014 18:43	TB	Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative]
11-Jun-2020 21:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
12-Jun-2020 08:29	MIG29	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Nature, Narrative, Operator]