§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the circumstances of an incident at Bentham, North Yorkshire, in September 1991, in which a Phantom aircraft lost part of its engine during flight.
§ Mr. HanleyOn 11 September 1991 a RAF Phantom aircraft was flying at 500 ft and 420 knots over north Yorkshire when an explosion was heard from the right engine. The engine was shut down and the pilot diverted to RAF Leeming. On investigation the engine pressure and high pressure turbine assemblies were found to have seized. Small pieces of engine debris fell on the roof and car park of the Angus Fire factory in High Bentham, causing some minor damage. There were eight claims as a result of this incident, all of which have been settled.
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