(Image: The Aviation Picture Company, reproduced with permission)
Though a handful of early production versions of Britain’s iconic English Electric Lightning interceptor aircraft still exist in museums, the majority of survivors are later mark F.6 and F.53 variants, the former remaining in RAF service until 1988. Only four early F.1s, four F.1As, four F.2As and five F.3s survive as complete airframes, the vast majority of their counterparts either written off, scrapped or used for crash rescue training. This article features four early production Lightnings that perished on (fire) dumps in England and Scotland.
Lightning XM145 at RAF Leuchars (Top)
The twelth Lightning F.1 in a batch of 20 aircraft off the English Electric production line, the gaunt shell of XM145 was stripped for parts and dumped in a neglected corner of RAF Leuchars in 1974. The warplane first flew in 1960 and suffered a landing accident at Coltishall in 1963. XM145 was repaired and returned to service, serving with the Leuchars TFF until being placed into storage during 1973. The following year, it was towed to the far side of the airfield and dumped on its belly. The redundant Lightning was finally scrapped in December 1974.
Lightning XM170 at RAF Swinderby
(Image: The Aviation Picture Company, reproduced with permission)
Seen on the fire dump at RAF Swinderby in 1975, Lightning F.1A XM170 had the distinction of being the shortest serving jet of its kind in RAF history. The aircraft took to the skies only once in a flight that last just 14 minutes, after which it was grounded forever. It transpired that XM170 had become contaminated with mercury while still on the production line, which went undetected until its first flight when a suspicious white fungus appeared on various parts of the airframe. The Lightning Association, meanwhile, claims the fighter was written-off after a heavy landing led to a mercury spillage. Either way, XM170 remains the shortest serving Lightning, and ended its days on Swinderby’s fire dump. The burnt-out wreck was scrapped in 1977. (Full story here.)
Lightning XM176 at RAF Leconfield
(Image: The Aviation Picture Company, reproduced with permission)
Like its earlier counterpart, Lightning F.1A XM176 was also scrapped during 1974, having previously been operated by No. 56 Squadron at RAF Wattisham in Suffolk. Withdrawn from use in 1965, the fighter jet was grounded for almost a decade before being broken-up. XM176 finished its days on the dump at RAF Leconfield near Beverley, East Yorkshire, an active Lightning base and major servicing facility for the jet during the 1960s.
Lightning XP752 at RAF Coltishall
(Image: The Aviation Picture Company, reproduced with permission)
The “youngest” airframe to feature in this article, Lightning F.3 XP752 first flew in 1964 and served with 74 Squadron and 111 Squadron during its service life. Involved in a mid-air collision with a French Air Force Mirage fighter in 1971, the pilot wrestled the aircraft back to base but XP752 was deemed beyond economic repair and redesigned 8166M for ground instructional use. Stripped for spares, the aircraft’s battered, burnt hulk is seen here on RAF Coltishall’s fire dump in 1979. The F.3′s mortal remains, its 111 Squadron markings still visible, had been scrapped by 1983.
More Lightnings – visit the gutted F.3 hulks on RAF Wattisham’s dump
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