The Times reported at the time
9th Feb 1956
SIX JETS CRASH IN NORFOLK
Sudden Onset of Bad Weather
Six out of eight Hunter fighter aircraft crashed in the area of Swaffham, Norfolk, yesterday in bad weather. One pilot was killed, and four others baled out of their aircraft.
The Hunters, on a training flight from the Central Fighter Establishment at West Raynham, Norfolk, were recalled to base when the weather deteriorated, and then were diverted to the R.A.F. station at Marham, Norfolk, Two landed safely at Marham, one crash-landed on the approach to the airfield, and another, the pilot of which was killed, crashed in an adjoining field. The remaining four pilots were all uninjured after baling out. The name of the dead pilot had not been announced last night. His next-of-kin are abroad.
The weather at midday, the approximate time of the accidents, was given as eight-tenths cloud with a base of 100ft., and visibility of 660 yards. Earlier the main cloud base was given as 5,000ft., with broken cloud at 1,800 ft. A meteorologist told The Times that there was a cold front approaching from the North Sea at the time.
All the aircraft crashed on open ground, and local fire brigades soon put out the flames. No civilians were involved. An official of the Air Ministry said that early inquiries had shown that the pilots who baled out complied with the drill of pointing the nose of the aircraft out to sea.
“OUT OF FUEL
One of the fighters involved yesterday crashed on the home farm of Cockley Cley Hall, owned by Major Sir Peter Roberts, M.P. It caught fire and was burnt out. Mr. F. J. Callaby, manager of the estate, said: “The pilot was unhurt. He had baled out. I took him to Swaffham police station. He said that he had run out of fuel.”
The Air Ministry said last evening that low cloud, mixed with fog, came in suddenly from the sea and visibility was reduced “alarmingly quickly. After the aircraft had been diverted to Marham the weather deteriorated rapidly there as well.
An inquiry will be held into the crashes, when questions of fuel supplies and the weather will be considered.
Last November three out of five jet aircraft, two of them Hunters, crashed in Surrey or Sussex. They ran out of fuel after being diverted to another airfield when the weather deteriorated. There were no casualties. The value of a Hunter fighter is about £100,000, an official of the makers, Hawker Aircraft, Ltd., said last night.
Nov 1955
JET AIRCRAFT CRASHES
FUEL EXHAUSTED IN BAD WEATHER
Three out of five jet aircraft which had been flying together crashed yester¬day after they had run out of fuel. There were no casualties.
Two were Hawker Hunters of No. 54 Squadron's aerobatics team. The third was a two-seater Vampire trainer in which a camera man of the United States Air Force had been photographing their manoeuvres. The five aircraft were unable to land at Odiham, Hampshire, when the weather suddenly deteriorated. They were diverted to Farnborough, Hampshire.
One Hunter crashed at Slinfold, Sussex, and the Vampire at Frensham. Surrey. The three occupants baled out safely. A second Hunter made a wheels-up landing at Tangmere. Sussex. The other two Hunters landed safely at Farnborough.
An R.A.F. court of inquiry will be held.
A Sea Hawk aircraft crashed yesterday on taking off at the Royal Naval Air Station, Lossiemouth. The pilot, Sub-Lieutenant C. Ward, of Staffordshire, was flung clear of the aircraft, but was injured. Last night he was stated to be dangerously ill.