Folland_Gnat

FEEDBACK

Sub:-Ejection history of Folland Gnat

Ref:- HAL Test Pilot Das - Feed back request

Group Captain. S Das was chief test pilot of HAL,Bangalore. He was promoted to corporate level (non-flying) and was on the verge of assuming office, when he decided to do a test flight.

The flight was in a prototype Marut Mk 1(R), BD-886 (HF-24,designed by Dr.KurtTank) fitted with a clam type canopy on Jan 09 1970. The entire fleet of HF-24s had sliding type hood.

This was the 32nd production version.

The sequence of events of the fatal crash is as follows:-

1. On T/O after V1 the canopy swung open but remained hinged, virtually like a airbrake. My colleague Mr.C K Chandramohan vouches this, as he was at runway 09 marker '7' on his way back in a jeep after switching on Eureka beacon.

2. Groupie made a perfect touch down (despite the air brake effect of open hood) with MLG, some 500 feet past the overshoot path. But the NLG landed in a a ditch, telescoping the cockpit and crushing the pilot. There was no fire.

3. The 'D' cord was out, but ejection sequence was fouled, as the canopy had opened out-of-sequence. He was pulled out from cockpit profusely bleeding.

4. The cause for inadvertent opening of canopy was not established.

Gp.Capt. S. Das is not known to have ejected from a Gnat, at least, not in HAL(1961-1974).

The Gnat in which Sqn. Ldr. Jagat Lowe (not Flt. Lt.) crashed, is IE 1200, the sixteenth production version of HAL in Nov. 1961. Violent pitch oscillations preceded the crash. The flight was a drop tank test flight after which the aircraft is usually accepted.

Mayampurath Jayamohan in email 22nd October 2007

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit - Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
31-Jul-56	Folland	Gnat Prototype			England	Squadron Leader Edward "Ted" A Tennant ejected 600 ft		Folland
15th October 1958	Folland	Gnat Prototype	XK767	Folland on loan to A&AEE	Loss of control. Crashed Stapleford, Wiltshire	Sqn. Ldr. Ernest John Roberts ejected but killed		Folland
24th February 1960	Indian A. F.	Gnat	IE-1069	AATU	Pilot Ejected at 12000 ft - Kanpur	Flt Lt Padmanabha Ashoka		Folland
19th March 1960	Indian A. F.	Gnat	IE-1070	23 Sqdn	Engine failure Pilot ejected near Kanpur	Sqn Ldr S Raghavendran		Folland
4th June 1960	Indian A. F.	Gnat	IE-1063	AATU	Engine Flame Out	Sqn Ldr A Sudhakaran Late Ejection - killed		Folland
8th September 1961	Indian A. F.	Gnat	IE-1111			Pilot Ejected		Folland
19th June 1962	Indian A. F.	Gnat	IE 1200	ASTE	B'lore	Sqn Ldr. Jagat Lowe		Folland
	I refer to the feedback in your site: ejection-history.org.uk relating to Sqn. Ldr. Jagat Lowe by Mayampurath Jayamohan. I would like to mail him and learn more about the fatal accident. The date of the crash should be corrected as 19^th June 1962. Sanjeev Lowe
12th October 1962	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XM696	A&AEE	Belly landed at RAF Boscombe Down
18th May 1963	Indian A. F.	Gnat	IE-1108					Folland
18th October 1963	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR536	RAF Sealand	Engine fire warning. Hit obstruction on runway while landing
19th April 1964	Finland	Gnat F.Mk.I	GN108	FL.35	spin due to fuel blockage	Lt. M. T. Kepponnen ejected safely		Folland
27-May-64	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR949 / 25	4FTS	Hood fractured, loss of control. Aircraft flew into Aernig Fawr, near Bala, Merioneth			Folland
27-May-64	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR949 / 25	4FTS				Folland
22-Jul-64	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR978 / 47	4FTS	Inverted Spin. Crashed into drained Llyn Celyn reservoir, near Blaenau Ffestiniog			Folland
22-Jul-64	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR978 / 47	4FTS		Pilot ejected OK	Instructor ejected badly injured found on Nynydd Nodol	Folland
7th September 1964	Indian A. F.	Gnat	IN-162	23 Sqdn	TO from Santa Cruz - Pilot Ejected 1600 Hrs			Folland
12th October 1964	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR976 / 44	4FTS	Undercarriage failure Hit ground after overshoot Rhosneigr, Anglesey			Folland 4GT1
12th October 1964	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR976 / 44	4FTS		Flt. Lt. Mike Vickers ejected at 5-600ft approx. 150 kts. I.A.S	Lt. Richard Sheridan (RN) [personal testimony] [RN] ejected at 2-300ft approx. 150 kts. I.A.S.	Folland 4GT2
14th January 1965	RAF	Folland Gnat	XR568	4FTS RAF Valley	Engine vibration
12th April 1965	India A. F.	Gnat Mk.1	E-1204	2 Sqdn	Ac overshot runway	Flight Lieutenant P. Singh		Folland
9th March 1965	RAF	Folland Gnat	XR542	4FTS RAF Valley	Engine failure, forced landing
6th April 1965	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR985	4FTS RAF Valley	Crashed on landing at Vally
22nd April 1965	RAF	Gnat T1	XS108	4FTS RAF Valley	In collision with XR950	Flg. Off. Gavin Darrell Priest killed - ejected along ground on crash landing		Folland
22nd April 1965	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR950 / 27	4FTS RAF Valley	Mid air collision with XS108. Carmel, south of Caernarvon			Folland
22nd April 1965	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR950 / 27	4FTS RAF Valley	Mid air collision with XS108. Carmel, south of Caernarvon	Flt. Lt. Timothy Francis Haughton Mermagan not able to eject - killed	Flight Lieutenant R. C. Tyler ejected	Folland
19th July 1965	RAF	Folland Gnat	XR543	4FTS RAF Valley	Dived into Lake Maelog on approach to Runway 32	Pilot Off. Roger Maxwell Cooper killed
6th September 1965	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR979 /45	4FTS RAF Valley	RAF Valley, Angelsey			Folland
6th September 1965	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR979 /45	4FTS RAF Valley	RAF Valley, Angelsey			Folland
19th September 1965	Indian A. F.	Gnat		9 Sqdn	Shotdown by F-86 near Lahore in combat by Saiful Azam (PAF)	Fg Offr Vijay Mayadev ejected became a POW.		Folland
13th September 1965	Indian A. F.	Gnat Mk.1		2 Sqn	SD by Flt Lt Yusuf Khan, F-86	Flt Lt A N Kale		Folland
13th April 1966	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP507	4FTS RAF Valley	Crashed into the sea on approach
13th April 1966	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP507	4FTS RAF Valley	Crashed into the sea on approach	Flt. Lt. William "Bill" Edwy Carrad Forse killed	Plt. Off. Peter William Stewart killed
13-May-66	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR539 / 08	4FTS RAF Valley	Spun into ground. Crashed into ground near Y Cnicht, near Bedgellert, Gwynedd			Folland
13-May-66	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR539 / 08	4FTS RAF Valley		Pilot Officer J. M. Enston	?? ejected
23-May-66	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR570 / 22	4FTS RAF Valley	Hit high tension cables. Near Llyn Celyn, near Mona, Anglesey	Plt. Off. Terence Jones ejected OK		Folland
28th September 1966	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XM704	CFS Kemble	Crashed on take off
1st January 1967	Indian A. F.	Gnat		ASTE	Srinagar	Flt Lt A S Lamba		Folland
1st June 1967	Indian A. F.	Gnat		24 Sqdn	Flame out after TO from Kalaikunda	Flt Lt P C Prasad		Folland
30th June 1967	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XM707	CFS	Abandoned after pitch control failure 2.5m West-North-West of RAF Kemble			Folland
30th June 1967	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XM707	CFS		Flight Lieutenant R. Cope-Lewis ejected		Folland
23rd August 1967	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP512 / 12	4FTS	Abandoned over sea following hydraulic failure. Rhosneigr, Anglesey			Folland
23rd August 1967	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP512 / 12	4FTS		Pilot Officer P. S. G. Adams ejected 3000 ft	Flight Lieutenant G Allin ejected 3000 ft	Folland
FEEDBACK	Gordon Allin from his Gnat 23 Aug 1967. In being converted from a single seat fighter to a 2-seat trainer the Gnat inherited a fantastically complicated pitch control system. I was the Duty Instructor in the tower at Valley when Gordon Allin was unfortunate enough to have the system run fully nose up in the circuit. I saw the aircraft experience several vertical climbs and subsequent tumbles from a stalled condition. Wisely he and his student ejected. Due to its small size the Gnat could not accommodate the Martin Baker seats used elsewhere in the RAF and used a generally successful seat designed by the aircraft manufacturer Folland. Unfortunately Gordon had previously been flying in early MB seats which, prior to leg restraint, required the aircrew to pull back their ankles onto a stirrup bar on the seat base to prevent leg flail. In the heat of the moment he did this which raised his thigh bones above the seat pad. This was enough to fracture both his thigh bones during the ejection. “Oscar “ Wild in email 2007
26th October 1967	Indian A. F.	Gnat			Eng Flame out during practice dogfight pkt	Flt Lt Satwant Singh		Folland
14th December 1967	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP509	4FTS RAF Valley	Belly landing
10th February 1968	Finland	Gnat F.Mk.I	GN111	FL.46 Luonetjarvi base	trim failure	Pilot ejected safely		Folland
8th June 1968	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR999 / 56	4FTS RAF Valley	Abandoned over sea off North Wales following jammed controls			Folland
8th June 1968	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR999 / 56	4FTS RAF Valley		Flight Lieutenant A. Holyoake	Pilot Officer D. Moss	Folland
14th November 1968	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP510 / 10	4FTS RAF Valley	Abandoned at night, below 5000 feet in oscillatory spin induced by violent slipstream. over Irish Sea, Near Nevin, North Wales			Folland
14th November 1968	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP510 / 10	4FTS RAF Valley		Flight Lieutenant R. Keith Piggott "At ejection, his dinghy detached; without immersion suit he endured 45-mins. in Irish Sea)."	Flying Officer John Loftus	Folland
26th March 1969	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR 573	Red Arrow CFS	Flew through trees while trying to rejoin formation. These initiated the ejection sequence	Flight Lieutenant Jerry J. Bowler was ejected killed		no ejection
13th June 1969	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR952 / 31	4FTS RAF Valley	Loss of control and abandoned in spin nr A5 at Glasfryn. Near Conway, North Wales	Pilot Officer I. Currie		Folland
13th June 1969	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP501	CFS RAF Fairford	Hydraulic failure. Undershot runway
16th December 1969	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR992	Red Arrow CFS	aircraft abandoned after erroneous call that engine was on fire - fire warning was given to XR995. Cirencester, Gloucestershire	Fl Lt Dickie Duckett ordered to eject - minor injuries		Folland
16th December 1969	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR995	Red Arrow CFS	Engine Fire aircraft abandoned following report of engine fire. Kemble, Gloucestershire	Fl Lt Jack Rust ejected - minor injuries		Folland
3rd January 1970	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR997	4FTS RAF Valley	Crashed on take off
3rd January 1970	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR997	4FTS RAF Valley	Crashed on take off	Flt. Lt. Peter Jack Phillips killed	Flg. Off. Anthony Trevor Carter killed
17th January 1970	Indian A. F.	Gnat	IE-1202		ejected safely after malfunctions	Flt Lt K De		Folland
13th November 1970	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR994	Red Arrow CFS	Engine failure during aerobatics practice - Red Arrows RAF Kemble	Sqn Ldr Dennis Hazell ejected OK		Folland
20th January 1971	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR986	Red Arrow CFS	Mid-Air Collision between synchro pair. Wings clipped during an opposition manoeuvre `Roulette'			no ejection
20th January 1971	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR986	Red Arrow CFS		Flight Lieutenant Euan Perreaux killed	Flight Lieutenant John Lewis killed	no ejection
20th January 1971	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR545	Red Arrow CFS				no ejection
20th January 1971	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR545	Red Arrow CFS		Flight Lieutenant John Haddock killed	Flight Lieutenant Colin Armstrong killed	no ejection
13th December 1971	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR567	CFS RAF Upper Heyford	Exceeded the flight limits during "beat up"			no ejection
13th December 1971	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR567	CFS RAF Upper Heyford	Exceeded the flight limits during "beat up"	Flt. Lt. David Clem Longden killed	Flt. Lt. Richard "Dick" Michael Storr killed	no ejection
14th December 1971	Indian A. F.	Gnat	E-257	18 Sqdn	SD by F-86 Srinagar 0750 Hrs	Fg Offr Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon		Folland
14th March 1972	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR948 / 48	4FTS RAF Valley	Abandoned after engine failure. 3m North East Llanbedr, Wales
14th March 1972	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR948 / 48	4FTS RAF Valley		Flight Lieutenant N. J. Day	Captain M. E. Trachta
21st October 1972	IAF	Gnat Mk I	E-305	No. 21 Squadron	Ran out of gas -engine flamed out Gorakhpur (UP) India	Flt Lt George K Naliyan ejected safely near the airfield with minor injuries [personal testimony]		Folland
28th July 1973	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR993	4FTS RAF Valley	Birdstrike near Lee on Solent - landed - damaged beyond repair
6th September 1973	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP508 / 21	4FTS RAF Valley	Loss of power. RAF Valley, Angelsey			Folland
6th September 1973	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP508 / 21	4FTS RAF Valley	Loss of power. RAF Valley, Angelsey	ejected OK	ejected OK	Folland
12th October 1973	RAF	Folland Gnat	XR537	4FTS RAF Valley	Birdstrike near RAF Leeming - landed - damaged
3rd September 1975	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XS103	CFS Leck Germany	Mid air collision with Italian F-104S no casualties. Landed.
16-Oct-75	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XS106 / 36	4FTS RAF Valley	Loss of control in spin. 1m North Llanwrst, Wales Runway ???			Folland
16-Oct-75	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XS106 / 36	4FTS RAF Valley		Squadron Leader I. C. Gibbs ejected OK	ejected OK	Folland
16th February 1976	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP531 / 6	4FTS RAF Valley				Folland
16th February 1976	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP531 / 6	4FTS RAF Valley		ejected OK	ejected OK	Folland
30th April 1976	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP536	4FTS RAF Valley	Mid air collision near Dolgellau, Mid Wales			no ejection
30th April 1976	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP536	4FTS RAF Valley		Flt. Lt. Kenneth Graham Ivell killed	Flt. Lt. David James Mather killed	no ejection
30th April 1976	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR983	4FTS RAF Valley				no ejection
30th April 1976	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR983	4FTS RAF Valley		Flt. Lt. Ian James Sanford killed	Capt. David Keiffer USAF killed	no ejection
24th June 1976	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XS111	CFS RAF Kemble	Brakes failed, undercarriage raised to stop aircraft
03-Mar-78	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR981	Red Arrow CFS	RAF Kemble. Red Arrows - Struck ground whilst practising aerobatics			no ejection
	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR981	Red Arrow CFS		Pilot Flt. Lt. Stephen Edward Noble - killed	Wg. Cdr. Dennis George Hazell AFC - killed	no ejection
	XR981 happened during pre-season practice, specifically while the team were practicing roll-backs at low altitude. The aircraft ended up inverted and neither occupant left the aircraft. One seat fired, but I can’t remember which, but couldn’t go anywhere. Steve Noble survived initially but died later that day.
26th April 1978	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR544 / 60	4FTS				Folland
26th April 1978	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XR544 / 60	4FTS	Aircraft crashed on approach to RAF Valley, Angelsey	Flight Lieutenant D. Newbury ejected OK	Flight Lieutenant J. A. A. Dobbie ejected OK	Folland
FEEDBACK	Just found the details of my dad's ejection in 1978 on your site and thought you would appreciate some pictures.. Six weeks previous to the ejection, he also suffered an engine failure in another Gnat and went through the crash barrier at Mona airfield (Anglesey) at about a 100 knots. If you have any questions please let me know. Regards, Matthew Dobbie in email 19th December 2007
22nd May 1979	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP539	CFS	Fuel blockage caused engine problems and aircraft abandoned. RAF Leeming, Yorks	Wing Commander Ernie Jones ejected OK		Folland
22nd May 1979	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	XP539	CFS
FEEDBACK	XP539 actually belonged to the Red Arrows, but was a reserve ship not fitted with smoke. It was flown by , our CO, Wing Commander Ernie Jones, who was the only person on board, and was 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. Lots of red faces.
26th February 1986	Indian A. F.	Ajeet		2 Sqdn	Engine Flameout DDK Range	Air Cmde T K Sen		Martin-Baker
9th January 1987	Indian A. F.	Ajeet		2 Sqdn	DNE Ac Rolling to right on finals -Ejt KKD	Fg OffrR Radhish		Martin-Baker
1st March 1988	Indian A. F.	Ajeet		2 Sqdn	Engine Flamed out	Fg Offr T J A Khan		Martin-Baker
15th April 1989	Indian A. F.	Ajeet		2 Sqdn	I NAVY Cr L a/c in unpopulated area Got SC	Lt Uday Kumar Sondhi		Martin-Baker
Date ???	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	???					no ejection - landed aircraft
Date ???	RAF	Folland Gnat T1	???			pilot Flt Lt Dudley Carvell	Cpl Ginger Whelan ejected through the canopy from the back seat when he thought control of aircraft had been lost. "No-one was hurt and we had the aircraft flying again the next week"	Folland