§ Sir Timothy Kitsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cause of the crash of the training aircraft on 22 May which took off from Leeming Bar; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PattieOn 22 May 1979 an RAF Gnat aircraft from RAF Kemble crashed 1½ miles south-east of RAF Leeming in open farmland. Both pilots ejected, one suffering a back injury. The aircraft was being used for an instrument flying test and was climbing away from a roller landing when its engine lost power. No civilians were injured in the crash and property damage was confined to a fence and hay crop. The accident is being investigated by an RAF board of inquiry.
§ Sir Timothy Kitsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many training aircraft have been involved in crashes in North Yorkshire in the last two years; how many of the inquiries into these crashes have now been reported and how many are still awaited by his Department; and if he will find a means of giving more information to the general public.
§ Mr. PattieThere have been six crashes in North Yorkshire involving RAF training aircraft during the period 1 June 1977 to 31 May 1979. Of these, four have been investigated by boards of inquiry and two are still under investigation.
As the House was told on 25 July 1978, in answer to a question from the hon. Member for Peckham (Mr. Lamborn), a study has been put in hand to examine what can be done to release more information about the findings of boards of inquiry.—[Vol. 954, c. 617.]