1970 Royal Air Force Whirlwind crash

Helicopter crash in England January 2026 January 2026 1970 Patrick Brompton Whirlwind crash Westland Whirlwind XL112 at RAF Leuchars 1962.jpg A black and white image showing a helicopter on a concrete pad with ancillary buildings behind and four RAF personnel in a group on the right Westland Whirlwind XL112 at RAF Leuchars 1962 Occurrence 1970 11 20 y Helicopter crashed Patrick Brompton, North Yorkshire, England 54.308 -1.689 type:event inline,title Westland Whirlwind Mark X Whirlwind Royal Air Force XL112 4 1 3 4 On 20 November 1970, a Royal Air Force Westland Whirlwind of No. 202 Squadron RAF crashed onto farmland near Patrick Brompton in North Yorkshire, England. All four service personnel on board the aircraft were killed; there were no recorded injuries on the ground or to civilians. Aircraft The aircraft involved was XL112, a Westland Whirlwind which was being operated by No. 202 Squadron based at RAF Leconfield in the East Riding of Yorkshire.RAF mystery probe on 'copter Liverpool Daily Post 35,946 26 January 1971 11 556422858 It was delivered to the RAF between November 1956 and February 1957, and had previously served on number 22, 227, and 228 Squadrons, with turns on 1563 and 1564 flights.Halley J. Royal Air Force Aircraft XA100 to XZ999 2001 Air Britain Tunbridge Wells 9780851303116 53 At the time of the crash, it was taking part in a training exercise being organised from RAF Leconfield.Four killed as RAF helicopter crashes The Scotsman 39,778 21 November 1970 1 0307-5850 Incident The aircraft was taking part in an exercise in lower Wensleydale with a complement of four on board: the pilot was a Canadian military officer on an exchange programme, two other helicopter crew were aboard, and a passenger who was not part of the helicopter crew.Llandudno man dies in helicopter crash Liverpool Daily Post 35,892 21 November 1970 1 556422858 Eyewitnesses describe hearing the helicopters engines revving before a distinct crack, and then a whine was heard; they also describe the helicopter coming into view through the fog and it "..seemed to be disintegrating as I watched."Four die as 'copter blows up in sky The Northern Echo 31,331 21 November 1970 1 6685296 The Whirlwind crashed at Grazing Nook Farm near to the village of Patrick Brompton spreading wreckage over a wide area of farmland.RAF teams comb copter crash scene The Northern Echo 31,332 23 November 1970 5 6685296Finn Victoria Farmer remembers helicopter crash 55 years on that left four dead The Yorkshire Post 29 November 2025 8 0963-1496 One of the rotorblades was discovered 1.5 mi to the west of the main crash site, and the tail end of the helicopter was found 0.5 mi away from the crash site.'Copter crash The Northern Echo 31,331 21 November 1970 6 6685296 The bodies of two of the crew were found within the wreckage, whilst the other two personnel were thrown clear, with all dying at the scene. It was later stated that the pilot had limited experience in flying the airframe by instrumentation in bad weather. It was also suggested that the bad weather caused issues for the aircraft as it ascended to 5,000 ft.Gleeson Janet Wreath for victims of RAF crash https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/northyorkshire/18891533.tributes-crew-helicopter-crash-near-bedale/ 29 November 2025 The Northern Echo 23 November 2020 Aftermath An inquest was opened four days after the crash in the nearby town of Bedale.Ranter Harro Accident Westland Whirlwind HAR10 (S-55T) XL112, Friday 20 November 1970 https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/157258 aviation-safety.net 17 February 2026 The coroner noted that "It is significant that there is no difference in the severity of the injuries between the two who were thrown out of the machine, and the two trapped inside." The pilot died of multiple skull fractures, the master navigator died from heart rupture, the winchman died from severe brain lacerations, and the other non-crewmember died from heart rupture and a broken neck.'Copter inquest The Northern Echo 31,333 24 November 1970 9 6685296 Although the public inquiry held by a coroner determined that the four people died accidentally, the RAF inquiry into the crash was not published immediately due to the technical aspects of the helicopter coming under the Official Secrets Act.Helicopter crash is 'Secrets Act mystery' The Northern Echo 31,385 26 January 1971 6 6685296 The owner of the farm who witnessed the crash regularly places a wreath at the site of the crash on the anniversary of the incident.Barton Andrew Farmer honours victims of 1970 Dales helicopter crash https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj381kpkykxo 29 November 2025 BBC News 26 November 2025 References External links The crash listed on yorkshireaircraft.co.uk Details about the pilot Category:Accidents and incidents involving military helicopters Category:Accidents and incidents involving Royal Air Force aircraft Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in England Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1970 Category:History of North Yorkshire Category:1970 in England