Incident Folland Gnat T.1 XP539,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 56498
 
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Date:Tuesday 22 May 1979
Time:
Type:Silhouette image of generic GNAT model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Folland Gnat T.1
Owner/operator:CFS The
Registration: XP539
MSN: FL541
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:Leeming, North Yorkshire -   United Kingdom
Phase: En route
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAF Kemble (EGBP)
Destination airport:RAF Leeming
Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Narrative:
Crashed at Leeming, North Yorkshire after the engine cut due to a fuel blockage. Both pilots ejected safely but Flt Lt Underdown sustained back injury.

XP539 actually belonged to the Red Arrows, but was a reserve ship not fitted with smoke. It was being flown by Flt Lt Mike Underdown and Wing Commander Ernie Jones who was undergoing IRT and visiting Training Command HQ. The accident was due to asymmetric fuelling of the aircraft – when one side ran out of fuel, the flow proportioner, which equalised usage from both sides, cut the fuel flow off from the other side.


Sources:

1. http://web.archive.org/web/20121025182700/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/Aircraft_by_Type/Folland_Gnat.htm
2. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1979.htm
3. http://aerobaticteams.net/red-arrows-history.html

Media:

The Aviation Photo Company: Folland Gnat &emdash; RAF Red Arrows Folland Gnat T.1 XP539 (1972)

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
16-Jul-2011 12:04 Dr.John Smith Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
06-Jun-2013 20:48 Dr. John Smith Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
07-Jul-2013 01:58 Dr. John Smith Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
14-Jul-2015 19:48 Dr. John Smith Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Embed code]
23-Dec-2017 10:09 Alex Ek Updated [Total occupants]
25-Jun-2018 12:35 j155 Updated [Operator, Total occupants]
06-Oct-2021 16:09 underdown Updated [Operator, Narrative]
07-Oct-2021 09:11 underdown Updated [Total occupants]

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