Hawker Sea Fury T.20 WG655 (G-INVN) down near Duxford

[STENDEC North]

No word on the pilot yet.

https://ukaviation.news/vintage-sea-fury-crashes-at-duxford/

[LOMCEVAK]

I have heard that both crew are OK.

[Tashengurt]

Forum gossip says crew OK but some serious damage with the front cockpit apparently separated at the front canopy edge.

[Nige321]

Very lucky I'd say...
Slightly ironic that they swapped the Centaurus out for a P&W because the Bristol was prone to engine failure... :uhoh:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/960x720/117108474_10220035736057369_577575375108082001_n_c8d889b41d0 cc0ff783dc4d19f5163d9a13bfdd9.jpg

[STENDEC North]

Great news about the crew, any landing you can walk away from and all that. She's been bent before, RNHF 1990.

[STENDEC North]

Nige, you've answered my question, wondered why it had a Double Wasp installed.

[Nige321]

Nige, you've answered my question, wondered why it had a Double Wasp installed.
The P&W is (was...) fitted on a Sanders 'Quick Change' engine mounting, the Bristol could be put back in very easily apparently.
More info here... (https://vintageaviationecho.com/sea-fury-t20-wg655/)

[STENDEC North]

Apparently news reporting a 'Sea Hawker' aircraft down. Good to know the journo's are as useless as ever, all they had to do was Google the registration they'd been given....

​​​​​​https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/live-updates-duxford-plane-crash-18715882

[MPN11]

Some of the worst Media cut-and-paste drivel I’ve ever seen. Is the Editor on furlough? Well done Cambridge News.

Meanwhile ... pilots are more valuable than aircraft, however rare. Glad they’re OK.

Brings back sad memories of Spenser Flack putting G-FURY into ‘my’ approach lights at XW.

[DuncanDoenitz]

"The plane was a Sea Fury crash UK Hawker Sea Fury T.20 (G-INVN)" . Apparently it made a False Landing. (Not to be confused with a Precautionary False Landing).

What a blessed age we live in.

[BigDotStu]

Some of the worst Media cut-and-paste drivel I’ve ever seen. Is the Editor on furlough? Well done Cambridge News..

Usual standard for them - it's one of the 'local' news sites which is now part of a large corporation with lots of shared syndicated stories. Very little decent (or often even local!) content. Best wishes to the crew, although it sounds like they got away with it. Wondering if that is what I heard flying around earlier.

[GeeRam]

Great news about the crew, any landing you can walk away from and all that. She's been bent before, RNHF 1990.

30 years ago a few weeks back, and almost in the same way, coming to rest in a field after smashing into tress, after an engine failure after take-off.

Good news the crew are OK looking at the state of the fuselage around the front cockpit area.

[Nige321]

30 years ago a few weeks back, and almost in the same way, coming to rest in a field after smashing into tress, after an engine failure after take-off.

Good news the crew are OK looking at the state of the fuselage around the front cockpit area.
Apparently the same serial and data plate, but not much more from the original WG655...

[Skipness One Foxtrot]

Apparently the same serial and data plate, but not much more from the original WG655...
This is surely a replica?

[Nige321]

This is surely a replica?
Well most 'restored' Spitfires are new builds around a data plate...!

[treadigraph]

Even less of the original now... :(

I know it's sacrilege but it did sound good with the R2800 and an amazing broad chord four blade prop off, if I recall, a Grumman Guardian... Hopefully Sanders or somebody else will stitch her back together in time.

So pleased the crew are in one piece - they'll have to swap notes with John Beattie (I do hope it wasn't John at the helm this time!).

[treadigraph]

This is surely a replica?

Rear fuse and tail off original WG655 mated to an ex Iraqi fuselage and centre section I believe...

[Martin the Martian]

My gosh, but that aircraft really, really has a thing about trees, doesn't it?

[DODGYOLDFART]

Wasn't this the Sea Fury put for sale recently? Or was it perhaps the new owner or prospective owner trying it out - sure hope not?

[Islandlad]

Forum gossip says crew OK but some serious damage with the front cockpit apparently separated at the front canopy edge.
... and other parts
Rear fuse and tail off original WG655 mated to an ex Iraqi fuselage and centre section I believe...
.. now very unmated again ....
My gosh, but that aircraft really, really has a thing about trees, doesn't it?
I'm sure they will make a full recovery.

[GeeRam]

So pleased the crew are in one piece - they'll have to swap notes with John Beattie (I do hope it wasn't John at the helm this time!).

No, John hadn't achieved the 'hat-rick' of Sea Fury prangs, it was Norwegian Spitfire Foundation chief pilot, Eskil Amdal flying it. Looking at the state of the cockpit area he was a lucky man to get out of it and walk away.

[airborne_artist]

I don't think the pilot of the Chinese Mig shot down by a Sea Fury would call it a light aircraft ;)

[sycamore]

P & W 2800 is pushrods and tappetts....

[treadigraph]

Video of departure from Duxford and the aftermath - very lucky it wasn't much worse.

https://youtu.be/h6H0YAE2p0g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6H0YAE2p0g&feature=youtu.be)

[ORAC]

Remarkably fair and accurate report in The Times https://www.pprune.org/accidents-close-calls/634561-hawker-sea-fury-t-20-wg655-g-invn-down-near-duxford-2.html?highlight=Sea+Fury

Second World War fighter plane crashes in Cambridgeshire field


A pilot and a passenger suffered minor injuries when their Second World War-era fighter plane crashed in a field in Cambridgeshire yesterday.

The Hawker Sea Fury was operated by the Norwegian Spitfire Foundation. It set out from the Imperial War Museum’s airfield at Duxford, ten miles south of Cambridge. The plane, among the last propeller-driven fighters to serve with the Royal Navy, suffered an engine failure with one passenger on board. The pilot, Captain Eskil Amdal, made an emergency landing near by.

Footage and pictures from the crash site showed the aircraft split in pieces with its nose in trees on the edge of a field. Captain Amdal and his passenger climbed out of the plane and were taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with minor injuries. A spokesman for the foundation, a charity dedicated to maintaining historic planes and commemorating the Norwegian air force, said: “Chief pilot Eskil Amdal did a very good job getting the aircraft down. Eskil and his passenger suffered only minor injuries.”

A spokeswoman for East of England Ambulance Service said: “We were called to Harston about 4.20pm yesterday after receiving reports of a plane crash. We sent two ambulances, two hazardous area response teams, an ambulance officer and rapid response vehicle. Crews treated two patients at the scene before transporting them to Addenbrooke’s Hospital for further assessment and care.”

The first prototyes of the Hawker Fury and Sea Fury were built in 1942. In 1944, the RAF ordered 200 of the Fury models. Another 200 Sea Fury planes were ordered for the Fleet Air Arm. During the Korean War the Sea Fury was the Navy’s only single-seat fighter plane. It was eventually replaced by the Hawker Sea Hawk jet fighter.

A spokeswoman for the Imperial War Museum (IWM) said: “Following an incident involving a Hawker Sea Fury aircraft which departed from Duxford airfield yesterday afternoon on a routine flight, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch will undertake a full investigation.

“The aircraft had to carry out a procedural forced landing on local farm land and sustained significant damage and a fuel leak. An IWM Duxford fire team with specialist equipment and knowledge assisted Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service at the scene. The pilot and passenger remain in a stable condition having sustained minor injuries.”

[H Peacock]

Quite a distinctive smoke trail behind the aircraft during the takeoff run and climb-out in the video. That looks like impending engine failure before they even left the ground!

Looked a fairly large field they tried to put it down in, but it clearly had plenty of energy when it arrived at the tree-line. Such a shame.

[capngrog]

It's very fortunate that it did not burn. The above story mentions "a fuel leak", which sounds to me that the fuel tanks (in the wings?) were largely intact.

Hopefully, this beautiful aircraft will be repaired/rebuilt.

Regards,
Grog

[Hueymeister]

Lots of soot down the port side, and smoke from the port exhaust stack on departure.

[GANNET FAN]

Tail mark is of my father's old station HMS Gannet at Eglinton, N.Ireland

[VictorGolf]

Looking at the damage to the front fuselage, is it a "construction joint" adjacent to the instrument panel or was it cut through by the rescue crew? Either way the pilot looks as though he was lucky not to get severe leg injuries.

[NutLoose]

They were never an aircraft to force land as they had a fearsome rep for killing people, especially with gear problems, hence when the RN Historic lost one years ago, John Beattie went over the side.

https://www.navy-net.co.uk/community/threads/sea-fury-crash-lands.75236/

[treadigraph]

Couple of images below courtesy of a member of another forum showing the damage when WG655 force landed in a field near Castle Carey in 1990 - much worse! The landing was in a very suitable field, unfortunately a cross slope led to a slide inexorably into the only two trees for miles. The back seater did suffer some quite serious injuries.

If I recall correctly, John Beattie's decision to abandon TF956 over the sea at Prestwick was due to one leg been stuck down and the other up - a landing in that configuration is a no no due to the type's propensity for going over on to its back - I can think of two, possibly three fatal Sea Fury accidents where the aircraft has turned over in a landing accident.

Finally, I gather that the back seater in WG655 on Tuesday was a fairly well-known PPRuNer who has suffered a bit of a bruised back - hope both guys are fully recovered quickly and none the worse for the experience!

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/510x385/50196587172_1f51a1d9b8_b_71798025ccde8086002500022ed88383fb0 f59b9.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/510x385/50196328411_86e783cdd1_b_a0d6f7016986a7afd89461efd3bb364a25a 4d7a2.jpg

[skua]

I think that, once the Editor has collected his faculties, there will be a rather interesting piece from Mr Whiteman about the joys and perils of passenger warbird flying!

[Pilot DAR]

Skua, feel free to quote (yes, which may mean you have to type it out...) a brief section of the article, so readers here may consider your thoughts. Pilot Magazine is not easily available to all PPRuNe readers.

[BoeingBoy]

As far as I read on other forums it was Dave Unwin (who is a regular contributor to Pilot Magazine) riding pax, not Mr Whiteman but I stand to be corrected.

[Saab Dastard]

Dave Unwin is correct: https://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/pilot-tells-of-miracle-130mph-crash-landing-in-vintage-fighter-plane-9119210/

[treadigraph]

It was Dave Unwin - link to item in his local paper below.

Get well soon, Dave!

https://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/pilot-tells-of-miracle-130mph-crash-landing-in-vintage-fighter-plane-9119210/

Edit: SD you sneaky so and so, how'd you manage to copy my post when I hadn't even posted it! :p

[Saab Dastard]

Genius, dear boy, genius. ;)

It is possible to make it appear that I posted a link to an event before it actually happened, although in this case it was purely down to being quicker off the mark! :cool:

[skua]

Sorry, I was misinformed.

[DaveUnwin]

Thank you Treaders.

[blue up]

Just below the cockpit on the left side it says "Invincible". How apt.

[DaveUnwin]

If anyone's interested, Eskil's account of handling this very difficult situation can be found in the current issue of Pilot magazine.

[treadigraph]

I'll look that out... trust you are both now fully recovered Dave?

[DaveUnwin]

Getting there Treaders.....

[treadigraph]

Good to hear! :ok:

[treadigraph]

AAIB report published...
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/612f8f04d3bf7f0387e8aa37/Hawker_Sea_Fury_T_Mk.20_G-INVN_10-21.pdf