Introduction

The Lightning is rightly regarded as one of the all-time classic fighter aircraft, its combination of power and fine handling qualities marking it out as a thoroughbred from the very beginning. During its service with RAF Fighter Command it was the dream of every aspiring fighter pilot to be posted to a Lightning squadron but the demands were such that only the very best were selected. Even then there were no guarantees, as a number of pilots were to be disappointed when they discovered they were not considered to be of the required standard during their final training course at 226 Operational Conversion Unit at Coltishall. Having been scrubbed, they were subsequently sent away to fly other less-demanding types of aircraft.

In addition to the skills needed to fly the aircraft and get the best out of its weapons system, pilots also had to spend many hours in the flight simulator. They often emerged as nervous wrecks after the examiner had bombarded them with a series of emergency situations of ever-increasing complication. This type of training was vital as the complexity of the Lightning meant that real emergencies in the air were many and varied and required prompt action if the aircraft was to be saved. However, there were to be many occasions when the appropriate drills as recorded in Pilot’s Notes were not enough and the pilot was left with no alternative but to eject. By the time that the Lightning was retired from RAF service in 1988 a total of fifty-three pilots had been forced to eject as a result of in-flight emergencies and thus owed their lives to the Martin Baker Mk 4BS ejection seat. Sadly, fourteen pilots were not so lucky and were killed during their operational tours.

This book looks at the safety record of the Lightning in RAF service and catalogues the many accidents that took place over its twenty-eight year history. It also compares the Lightning with other contemporary aircraft, including the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter, which acquired a poor reputation for safety, particularly during service with the Luftwaffe and Marineflieger, to see if claims are true that the Lightning was as bad, if not worse. Much of the information has come from official accident reports, Board of Inquiry findings and RAF flight safety reviews that are held at the National Archives at Kew, although there are some firsthand accounts by pilots who were suddenly confronted with a life-or-death situation in the air. There are also appendices that include total Lightning losses and the emergency drills that were to be carried out in the event of an engine or reheat fire and hydraulic failure, which were the principal safety issues that afflicted the Lightning during its long history.