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1957

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Unknown date most likely 1957
USN F4D-1 plunged off USS Essex. Lt. Norman L. Sothan ejected from underwater.

Mike ... sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake. this is one of
those times. Last month I went to a squadron reunion in San Diego of
a group I was with 50 years ago. One of the guys there was Norm
Sothan. His claim to fame is that in 1957 he landed on a carrier
which had a wt deck. As Norm was taxiing he started to slide and he
ended up sliding off the deck. He was in an F-4D (Skyray). He went in
the water inverted. the fall did not break the canopy, the plane was
sinking (inverted) and Norm ended up ejecting underwater and
inverted. He got away with it. I could get you two together if you
wanted more of the story -- Jim

January

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
3rd January 1957	RAF	Meteor F8	WA879 "G"	74 Sqn	see below The aircraft crashed near Horsham St. Faith, Norfolk	automatically ejected and struck the underside of WE974		Martin-Baker
3rd January 1957	RAF	Meteor F8	WE974	74 Sqn	During a dog-fight at 9,000ft WE974 collided with WA879, crushing the cockpit. The seat automatically ejected and struck the underside of WE974 killing the pilot.	pilot ejected through the canopy but his chute did not open properly and he was killed		Martin-Baker
7th January 1957	USAF/RAF	RF-84F Thunderflash	18th TRS, 363rd TFW	Shaw AFB, South Carolina		Exchange pilot Flt. Lt. John West [RAF] ejected		NAA
8th January 1957	Rhodesian A.F.	Vampire T.11	RRAF 124	No. 2 Sqn	Could not recover from a spin	Officer Cadet Rob J. Gaunt ejected		Martin-Baker
8th January 1957	Rhodesian A.F.	Vampire T.11	RRAF 124	No. 2 Sqn	Could not recover from a spin	Fl. Off. Brian N. Horney ejected		Martin-Baker
10th January 1957	RAFC	Vampire	WZ429	60	Spun into the ground near Gosberton, Bedfordshire after failing to recover from an intentional spin	U/Off M. A. Hicks ejected		Martin-Baker
10th January 1957	RAFC	Vampire	WZ429	60		no ejection by instructor - fatal
14th January 1957	RAF	Meteor F8	WE887	FWS 233 OCU	WE887/J & WH457 of FWS 233 OCU. collided during a formation flight - aircraft crashed near Wormshead, Glamorgan	The pilot ejected through the canopy but his chute failed to deploy and he was killed		Martin-Baker
30th January 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	141350	VX-3	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
31st January 1957	USAF	F‑89D	52‑1870		collided with DC‑78 N8210H Verdugo mountains 3 M NW of Sunland. CA, USA 4 on DC‑7 and 3 on ground killed, 70 on ground injured in a school playground	ejected		Northrop
31st January 1957	USAF	F‑89D	52‑1870			killed

February

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
4th February 1957	RAF	Hunter F5	WP115 "G"	56 Sqn	three miles NW of Soham, Cambridgeshire after the engine cut during a GCA approach to Waterbeach	The pilot ejected safely		Martin-Baker
4th February 1957	Netherlands A.F	Meteor				Sgt. J. H. Witman ejected		Martin-Baker
4th February 1957	RN	Wyvern				Lt. B. B. Hartwell ejected		Martin-Baker

March

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	seat	photo
1st March 1957	USMC	North American FJ-4 Fury		VMF-232	Off the coast of Lanai Island, T. H	1st Lt Robert P. Leslie ejected.		NAA
?? March 1957	USAF	F-86D Sabre-Dog	??	Perrin Air Force Base	deep countryside, Oklahoma	1st Lt. John Martin Bailey, Jr.		NAA
15th March 1957	Italian	Fiat G.91 prototype			after the aircraft lightweight seat "exploded in flight". Suffered minor injuries.	Test pilot R. Bignamini ejected		Martin-Baker Mk.4
22nd March 1957		F‑100		West Germany	caught fire in flight	pilot ejected safely		NAA
23rd March 1957	RAF	Vampire				Cadet R. L. Thomas ejected		Martin-Baker
23rd March 1957	RAF	Vampire				Fl. Off. G. N. Lewis ejected		Martin-Baker
24th March 1957	RAF	Meteor 8	VW370	208 Sqn RAF Khormaksar	Thumier West Aden Protectorate	Pilot Flying Officer John Hugh Stuart MANSFIELD ejected at low level out of seat envelope and was killed		Martin-Baker
FEEDBACK	My brother, F/O John Hugh Stuart Mansfield 208 Squadron, RAF Khormaksar, who was killed whilst ejecting from a Meteor 8 on 24 March 1957. His engine caught fire at 500 feet. Perhaps from a ricochet of his own shell whilst firing at the ground during the Suez Crises. His aircraft was VW370. Thanks Rick Mansfield in email 14th February 2008 Information entered 14th February 2008
26th March 1957	USAF	T‑33A	50‑0446	66th TRW	collided with B‑57B 52‑1587 at 26,000 ft near Speyer, West Germany	pilot bailed out safely

April
Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat

2nd April 1957	Lockheed	F‑104A	56‑0731	Edwards AFB, CA, USA	engine failure	pilot ejected safely
5th April 1957	RAF	Hunter F4	WV384	71 Sqn	on approach to Bruggen, West Germany	The pilot ejected but his seat gun drogue failed and he was killed	Martin-Baker
9th April 1957	NAA	TF-100C	54‑1966 NA-230	North American Aviation	crashed during a spinning test Broke apart in midair NW of Kramer Junection, Mojave Desert	test pilot Bob Baker ejected safely	NAA
16th April 1957	USN	F9F-8	VA-151	Alameda, California	In the area of Hollister, California	Lt. (jg) Lew Meyer ejected	Grumman
25th April 1957	RAF	Venom FB1	WE423	28 Sqn	WE423 collided with WR299 15 nautical miles from Waglan Island, Hong Kong during a formation turn	Fl. Off Combes or Fl. Off R. Joel ejected [at present not able to confirm who was in which aircraft - see below]	Martin-Baker
25th April 1957	RAF	Venom FB1	WR299 "F"	28 Sqn	WE423 collided with WR299 15 nautical miles from Waglan Island, Hong Kong during a formation turn	Fl. Off Combes or Fl. Off R. Joel ejected [see above]	Martin-Baker
	Hi, On 25th April 1957 Pilots Joel and Coombes ejected after a mid air collision. Their story appeared in 'The Kai Tak Magazine 1957' I was in UK recently and my sister handed me a copy of the magazine that I brought back in 1957. I made a photocopy. I copied the article on to The RAF Forum under the heading 28 Squadron Sek Kong. Unfortunately I then destroyed the photocopy. If you are interested you can log on toThe RAF Forum or let me know and I will get another photocopy from UK cheers, A. Morrison.
25th April 1957	Swedish A.F	Hunter				B. O. Axelsonn ejected	Martin-Baker
28th April 1957	RAF	Vampire T11	XE892/ "S"	253 Sqn	engine failure shortly after take-off from Waterbeach, aircraft crashed at Mount Pleasant Farm, Stowupland, Stowmarket, Suffolk	Fl. Off. R. Wellington ejected	Martin-Baker
28th April 1957	RAF	Vampire T11	XE892/ "S"	253 Sqn		Fl. Off. D. J. Joce ejected	Martin-Baker
29th April 1957	RNZAF	Venom FB1	WR282	14 Sqn	in Singapore	Fl. Lt. C. M. F. Mc D. Palmer ejected	Martin-Baker Mk,2F
30th April 1957	RAF	Hunter F6	XG203 "H"	111Sqn	on landing at North Weald, Essex. It then broke up and exploded after the nose wheel collapsed	explosion activated the ejection seat and blew the pilot, Fl. Off. M. Thurley clear. He suffered only slight injuries	Martin-Baker

May
Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
1st May 1957	USAF	YF‑104A	55‑2962	Lockheed	wing tank came loose at 24,000 ft, struck tail, tearing away horizontal and most of vertical stabilizer. W of Barstow, CA, USA	pilot ejected safely
Tuesday 6th May 1957	RAFC	Vampire FB9	WR263 "28"		Crashed into the North Sea off Mablethorpe, Lincs	pilot ejected due to jammed controls		Martin-Baker
Tuesday 6th May 1957 evening	USAF	Republic F-84F Thunderstreak	51-1428	Air Force Logistics Command [AFLC] Brookley Air Force Base, Alabama	crashed into the marshes of Dog River	1st Lt. Francis J. Clark successfully ejected and parachuted to safety		Republic
9th May 1957	USAF	T-33		Hamilton Air Force Base	High Sierras, California	1st Lt. David Steeves		Lockheed
9th May 1957	USN	F4D‑1	134777 ND	VF‑23	on National Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, USA	pilot ejected safely
12th May 1957	USAF	B-57 Canberra			Ocean Station November	(Major) Gayle P. Johnson ejected
19th May 1957		F‑100C	54‑1862	450th FDW	Corpus Christi Bay, TX, USA	pilot ejected safely
25th May 1957	RAF	Hunter				Flg. Off. A. P. Hilton ejected		Martin-Baker
25th May 1957	USAF	JF‑104A	55‑2970	Lockheed	engine stalled following firing of gun during tests and caught fire. Crashed 30 M from Camp Irwin, 35 M NE of Barstow, CA, USA	pilot ejected safely
28-05-1957 Late afternoon		F-84F Thunderstreak	P-256/TC-19	316 Sqn , Eindhoven	flying much too low , hit with his pylon tank a dune of approximately 0.5 meters high. Left wing caught fire and the plane entered spin and crashed into sea	pilot bailed out
30th May 1957	RN	Hawker Sea Hawk	WV869 "151"	803 Sqn	about half a mile from Lossiemouth following full blaze	Pilot ejected		Martin-Baker
31st May 1957	RAF	Hunter F.6	XG270/D			He tried to eject but could not jettison the canopy forced landing in shallow water which he did landing on the beach of the German island of Baltrum		Martin-Baker

June
Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
June 1957	USN	F3H‑2N Demon		VF‑31	in a swamp, AL, USA	pilot ejected safely		McDonnell
3rd June 1957	USN	B‑57E	55‑4261	17th TTS	Yuma, AZ, USA	crew ejected safely
6th June 1957	USN	F3H‑2N Demon	136993	VF‑31	engine quit in thunderstorm crashed in Atlantic 150 M off coast of GA, USA	pilot ejected but was killed		McDonnell
6th June 1957	USAF	F3H‑2N Demon	136994	VF‑31	engine quit in thunderstorm in Atlantic 150 M off coast of, GA, USA	pilot ejected safely
6th June 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	141361	VF-32	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
7th June 1957	RAF	Hunter F6	WN969/N	41 Sqn	near Biggin Hill, Kent. The aircraft crahed into a field killing a horse and injuring two others.	Flg. Off. C. W. G. Young ejected		Martin-Baker
11th June 1957	USAF	F‑84F	52‑6724	20th FBW	RAF Woodbridge, UK	pilot ejected at 300 ft but parachute did not open. Landed in trees and survived the fall		McDonnell
13th June 1957	Roy. Neth. A.F	Meteor				Lt. G. A. M. Van Wermeskerken ejected		Martin-Baker
24th June 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	141690	VF-32	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought

July

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crash / test	crew	photo	seat
3rd July 1957	RNZAF	Venom				Lt. G. C. Hubbard ejected		Martin-Baker
6^th July 1957	USAF	F-100	2232	48th FBW/494th FBS	engine failure on Seigenburg Range, West Germany	Pilot ejected safely		NAA
8th July 1957	USAF	F‑86D	52‑3605	15th FIS	collided with F‑86D 52‑3623 during join‑up manoeuvre. over Catalina mountains NM, USA	pilot ejected - aircraft flew on autopilot for another 300 miles
8th July 1957	USAF	F‑86D	52‑3623	15th FIS	collided with F‑86D 523605 during join‑up manoeuvre, Mount Bigelow, Catalina Mountains, N of Tucson, AZ, USA,	pilot ejected safely
9th July 1957	Roy. Neth. A.F					M. Van Ingen-Schenau ejected		Martin-Baker
9th July 1957	Roy. Neth. A.F					P. G. Van Sprundel ejected		Martin-Baker
10th July 1957	USMC	Grumman F9F-6 Cougar	BuNo.130994	Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment NAS Floyd Bennett Field Brooklyn, N.Y	hydraulic fluid under pressure in the flying tail hydraulic mechanism leak caused fire	Captain Francis Xavier Rozinski [personal testimony]		Grumman
11th July 1957	USAF	XF‑104A	53‑7786	Palmdale AP, AF Plant 42, CA, USA	uncontrollable tail flutter	pilot ejected safely
19th July 1957	USAF	B‑57B	53‑3868	3rd BW, 25 M from Johnson AB, Japan		crew ejected safely
19th July 1957	Martin Baker	Meteor				Sqn. Ldr. John Fifield ejected at 1,200ft., 250kts over Chalgrove		Martin-Baker
23rd July 1957	RAF	Supermarine Swift FR5	WK311	79 Sqn	at Niehoff, West Germany	Flg. Off. J. M. Davies ejected		Martin-Baker
24th July 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	141357	VX-3	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
26th July 1957	RN	Vampire				Lt. G. W. Barras [RN] ejected.		Martin-Baker
26th July 1957	RN	Vampire				Flt. Lt. R. M. Agate {RCAF] ejected.		Martin-Baker
30th July 1957	USN	F8U‑1 (F-8A Crusader)	142414	VF‑32	nr Jacksonville, FL, USA	pilot ejected safely		Vought

August

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
2nd August 1957	RAF	Hunter F6	XE586	263 Sqn	Crashed onto uddenham Avenue, Ipswich, Suffolk after the pilot had failed to recover the aircraft from a spin	Flg. Off C. G. Reith ejected safely		Martin-Baker
15th August 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	143702	VF-154	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
15th August 1957	RAAF	Vampire Mk.35	A79-601	No.2 Aircraft Depot	crashed near Castlereagh, New South Wales, 2AD Richmond	First Ejection in Australia		Martin-Baker Mk.3B
15th August 1957	RAAF	Vampire Mk.35	A79-601	No.2 Aircraft Depot	crashed near Castlereagh, New South Wales, 2AD Richmond	Pilot Flg. Off. G. M. Collins ejected from the aircraft which was spinning out of control at 5,000ft., 100kts		Martin-Baker Mk.3B
28th August 1957	Martin-Baker / USN	Grumman F9F-8T Cougar pilotted by Grumman test pilot Ernie Von der Heyden			U.S. Naval Air Test Centre, Patuxent River	Flying Officer Sid Hughes demonstrated the runway ejection capability of the Martin-Baker Mk.5 ejection seat when he ejected at 120kts		Martin-Baker Mk.5

September

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
?? September 1957	USAF	U‑2A		4080th SRW	broke up at high altitude	pilot bailed out
5th September 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	143733	VX-3	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
10th September 1957	RAF	Hunter F5	WP144/X	34 Sqn	the Hunter struck RN Whirlwind HAS7 XK908 of 700Sqn which crashed at East Stratton, Hampshire killing both the crew	Flg. Off. B. J. Stephens blacked out and recovered to find the aircraft in a spin. He ejected just before it exploded		Martin-Baker
12th September 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	141356	VF-32	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
12th September 1957	RAAF	Sabre	75 Sqn Wellington		crashed near Stockton Bight, New South Wales	Pilot Flt. Lt. G.A. Boord ejected from the spinning aircraft at 10,000ft., 300kts. Landed in water and became entangled in the rigging line, cut lines free. He bruised his elbows on ejection		NAA
17th September 1957	RN	Wyvern				Sub Lt. R. W. Edward ejected		Martin-Baker
17th September 1957	RN	Wyvern				Sub Lt. G. W. Smith ejected		Martin-Baker
20th September 1957 11:30 hrs	RAF	Vampire T.11 trainer	WZ496/65	7 FTS RAF Valley	near Wem in Shropshire			Martin-Baker
20th September 1957 11:30 hrs	RN	Vampire T.11 trainer	WZ496/65	7 FTS RAF Valley	near Wem in Shropshire	Lt. Williams, Student, RN.ejected at 1,500ft.	M. A. Rufus Heald, Flying Instructor, RAF ejected at 600ft	Martin-Baker
20th September 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	143700	VF-32	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
21^st September 1957	USAF	F-100	2181	48th FBW/494th FBS	engine failure crashed after takeoff from Hahn AB, Germany	Pilot ejected safely		NAA
23rd September 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	143704	VF-24	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
24th September 1957	RN	Wyvern				Lt. M. J. Doust ejected		Martin-Baker
25th September 1957	RN	Sea Hawk				Lt. S. Idiens ejected		Martin-Baker
26th September 1957	USAF	U‑2A	56‑6694	4080th SRW	on a ranch nr Laughlin AFB, TX, USA	pilot bailed out at 50,000 ft

October

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
3rd October 1957	RAF	Canberra	WJ769	139 Sqn	Belly landed the aircraft at after the port engine caught fire after take off Idris, Libya	Flg. Off. A. S. Brown ejected		Martin-Baker
3rd October 1957	RAF	Canberra	WJ769	139 Sqn		Other crew member ejected		Martin-Baker
17th October1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	142413	VF-32	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
18^th October 1957	USAF	F-100C	54-1938	36th FDW, 32nd FDS	engine flamed out due to fuel starvation crashed into North Sea, IJsselmeer, Netherlands	Pilot ejected safely		NAA
20th October 1957	USAF	B‑57B	53‑3901	3rd BW	4 M NE of NAS Atsugi, Japan	pilot ejected safely
20th October 1957	USAF	B‑57B	53‑3901	3rd BW	4 M NE of NAS Atsugi, Japan	nav killed
20th October 1957	USAF	F‑100D	55‑3660	562nd FBS/388th FBW	During flight from Wheelus to Soesterberg crashed into Mediterranean 120 NM SSE of Sardinia, Italy	pilot ejected safely
28^th October 1957	USAF	F-100	2229	388th FBW/562nd FBS	7 mi ESE of Whellus AB, Libya on El Uotia range	Pilot ejected at too low an altitude and was killed		NAA

November

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
1st November 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	143736	VF-103	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
6th November 1957	USN	F-8A Crusader	143721	VF-32	in US	Pilot ejected		Vought
7th November 1957	RAF	Hunter F4	XF948ES-P	229 OCU	10 miles north of Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel	Pilot only ejected		Martin-Baker
7th November 1957	DFLS	Hunter F6	XG162/W		one mile south of West Raynham, Norfolk	The pilot ejected and was killed		Martin-Baker
9th November 1957	A&AEE	Hunter F6 with extended leading edges	XE588	'A' Sqn , A&AEE	unable to recover the aircraft from a Spinning Trial - into Cuckoo Hill near Gorley, Surrey three miles north of Ringwood, Hants	Wg. Cdr. D. F. Dennis DSC DFC AFC ejected through the canopy. The seat and the parachute tangled		Martin-Baker
14^th November 1957	USAF	F-100	53-2016	36th FDW/32nd FDS	caught fire after takeoff and crashed into Van Der Palm army barracks at Bussum, Holland, 5 killed on ground	Pilot ejected safely		NAA
17th November 1957	USAF	F‑104A	56‑0758	3241st TG, Eglin AFB, FL, USA	aircraft made sudden uncommanded maneouvre	pilot ejected
27^th November 1957	USAF	F-100	54-1906	36th FDW, 22nd FDS	25 mi S of Tripoli, Libya	pilot ejected safely and was rescued by SH‑19B		NAA
28th November 1957	USAF	U‑2A	56‑6704	4080th SRW	13 M SE of Laughlin AFB, TX, USA	pilot bailed out but struck speed brake and was killed

December

Date	Air Force	A'cft	Unit / Serial	based	crashed	crew	photo	seat
6th December 1957	RN	Sea Venom				Lt. Cdr. W. G. B. Black ejected		Martin-Baker
9th December 1957	RAFC	Vampire T11	WZ456/50		Crashed two miles south of Newark, Notts	Flg. Off. G. D. Andrews ejected		Martin-Baker
9th December 1957	RAFC	Vampire T11	WZ456/50		Crashed two miles south of Newark, Notts	Flt. Lt. G. Willis ejected		Martin-Baker
9th December 1957	RN	Sea Hawk				B. P. Marindin ejected		Martin-Baker
13th December 1957	RAF	Hunter F6	XG202/E	66 Sqn	Crashed one and a half miles NE of Morpeth, Northumberland	Flt. Lt. J. C .Bryce ejected safely		Martin-Baker
13th December 1957	RAF	Canberra				Flg. Off. F. N. Buchan ejected safely		Martin-Baker
13th December 1957	RAF	Canberra				Sqn. Ldr. C. C. Blount ejected safely		Martin-Baker
13th December 1957	RAAF	Vampire			crashed near Penrith while testing prior to delivery to the RAAF	civilian test pilot Mr. Edwin "Ted" Shaw ejected at 14,000ft uninjured		Martin-Baker
14th December 1957	USAF	B‑57B	53‑3927	345th BG	ost bomb bay door in flight, Camp A P Hill bombing range, Bowling Green, VA, USA	crew ejected safely
16th December 1957	USAF	F‑100D	55‑3599	18th FBW, Osan AB, South Korea	during post‑maintenance test flight, crashed on runway	pilot ejected safely
30^th December 1957	USAF	F-100	2209	48th FBW/492nd FBS	suffered flameout in poor weather and crashed near Chaumont AB, France	Pilot ejected safely		NAA

Further Information and dates needed
1957	Yugoslav Air Force	F-84	Ljubodrag Pavlovic ejected	NAA
1957	Yugoslav Air Force	F-84	Lieutenant Djuro Topolic ejected	NAA