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On the sixth of July nineteen seventy nine, a RAF
Hawker Hunter MK F6 Aircraft developed engine trouble and forced the
pilot to point the aircraft out to sea and then eject. The plane was
serving with No1 Tactical Weapons Unit at the time and was carrying
live ammunition. The Hunter should have ditched several miles out to
sea, but the aircraft hit the sea and somehow managed to turn and head
back into the coast at Tintagel. The aircrafts route is in line with
the photograph’s below. Ivan Irons was up a ladder painting the first
house to be hit.
It then continued across the field and through the
garden wall
and ultimately came to rest in the alley between the
Klymairven and King Arthur’s Terrace
The structural damage to King Arthur’s terrace and
the Klymairven.
The crushed vehicles that were in the Hunters path.
The tailfin of the Hunter protrudes from the
alleyway
The plane managed to slip into a 12 foot gap between
the two properties.
The Hunter spewed a load of ammunition all over the
road as the front end of the plane came to a halt on the main road.
Not all the ammunition was recovered.
In the picture below you can see how close Tintagel
came to being half the size it is today. Has the Hunter was careering
across the fields towards the alleyway between, what was then the
Klymairven Restaurant and Jan Jewells house on the end of King
Arthur’s Terrace, a large petrol tanker was delivering it’s load of
fuel to Jack Cann’s petrol station. On seeing the approaching plane,
the driver jumped into the tanker and raced across the fortunately
large car park behind the petrol station.
Thanks to Pete Sobey for the
images.
For a detailed account of the
incident from the Pilot
click here |
