ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 58226
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| Date: | Tuesday 30 June 1964 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Hawker Hunter FGA9 |
| Owner/operator: | 208 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | XK139 |
| MSN: | 41H/688141 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Das Island, Abu Dhabi, Persian Gulf -
 United Arab Emirates
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Manama, Bahrain |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On 30 June 1964, Hunter FGA.9, XE647 ('H') of 208 Squadron Hunter FGA.9, XK139 ('J'), collided and crashed during a practice ground attack strike on a disused lightship near Das Island in the Persian Gulf. Flt Lt Mike Gibson in XE647 ejected at 6,000 ft., and at an IAS of 290kts. with aircraft in level flight. As he could not reach the overhead ejection handle (with its protective face blind), his bone-dome being in contact with the canopy, and with insufficient time to lower his seat, Flt Lt Gibson used the seat pan handle to initiate his ejection. Under these circumstances there would have been no facial protection on entering the air-stream.
Ken Parry, who knew both pilots and was later on 8 Squadron, recalls that, “the other pilot" (in XK139) "was Flying Officer Tony Willcocks. He and Mike Gibson and I were all on the same Vampire course at 4 FTS, Valley, in 1962-63. Mike went through Chivenor on 92 DF/GA Course and Tony on 93 Course, and both went to 208 Squadron. My understanding of the collision (from a later meeting with Mike) was that for some reason the two aircraft were on converging headings onto the target, both pilots head-down on their gunsights, and neither saw the other.
XK139 also crashed and Tony Willcocks was killed. Whether he attempted to eject I don’t know, but my recollection of talking to Mike is that probably he did not.”
Sources:
http://www.radfanhunters.co.uk/Accidents.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Island
http://rafforum.activeboard.com/t28144567/raf-crashes-at-bahrain-trucial-states-oman-1950-1970/?page=1
www.ukserials.com/losses-1964.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20170421194245/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/PROJECT/YEAR_Pages/1964.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Jan-2009 11:55 | ASN archive | Added |
| 19-May-2012 12:42 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-Nov-2012 05:07 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Jan-2017 08:16 | Anon. | Updated [Departure airport] |
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