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Only surviving WWII Hurricane crash-lands... six weeks after its £1.5million three-and-a-half year r

Discussion in 'WWII Today' started by JCFalkenbergIII, Mar 11, 2009.

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  1. JCFalkenbergIII

    JCFalkenbergIII Expert

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    Only surviving WWII Hurricane crash-lands... six weeks after its £1.5million three-and-a-half year restoration is completed


    By Daily Mail Reporter
    Last updated at 5:35 PM on 11th March 2009



    A unique £1.5million World War Two fighter plane crash-landed today just weeks after its owner completed a three-and-a-half-year restoration.
    The Hawker Hurricane MK IIB - nicknamed the 'Hurribomber' - ended up on its nose after the undercarriage locked on touchdown.

    Its pilot was unhurt in the crash. The extent of the damage to the plane - the only one of its kind still flying - is not yet known.
    But at the very least, it is going to need a new propellor.


    Enlarge [​IMG] Whoops: The World War Two Hurricane aeroplane with a bent propeller at North Weald airfield

    Enlarge [​IMG] Nose down: Witnesses said the wheels appeared to lock on landing, pitching the aircraft forward


    Restoration work was only completed six weeks ago.
    Witness William Page, who works at the neighbouring Essex Motorcross site, said: 'I watched the plane do a couple of fly-bys, and then it began its approach to land.
    'Everything seemed to be going fine until it touched the ground - it looked as though the brakes suddenly locked on and I saw the nose hit the ground and the tail-end flip up.'

    A spokesman for Hawker Restorations in Milden, Suffolk, said the owner had taken the plane for its first flight on January 27 and North Weald was its home airfield.
    The spokesman said: 'It's quite a unique plane in as much as it is the only flightworthy hurricane bomber, it is set up with guns and potentially can carry two bombs. It is the only one like that flying in the world.

    [​IMG] The damaged £1.5m plane is towed from the site of the crash



    [​IMG] The Hurricane's propeller appears twisted out of shape by the impact after the plane nose-dived

    'They don't usually land propeller first and apparently it bunny-hopped down the strip.'
    He added: 'Planes like this are worth in the region of £1.5million and take about 30,000 hours to restore.
    'We are not very happy. We are waiting to see the damage.'

    Five fire engines were scrambled to the airfield in North Weald, near Epping in Essex, at 11.40am along with paramedics.
    'The pilot was the only person on board and he walked away from the incident,' said a spokesman for the county's fire and rescue service.
    'Fortunately no one was trapped in the plane and there was no leaking fuel.'
    The plane, built in Canada, was shipped to besieged Britain in 1940 and used for escort and reconnaissance work from Tangmere, Sussex, during the war.
    It is owned by a group called Hangar 11.
    Along with the Spitfire, the 340mph Hurricane - fitted with Browning machine guns - was credited with helping win the Battle of Britain.

    Enlarge [​IMG] Pristine: The aircraft during its extensive restoration



    Enlarge [​IMG] The Hurricane's owners spent more than three years working

    Only surviving WWII Hurricane crash-lands... six weeks after its £1.5million three-and-a-half year restoration is completed | Mail Online
     
    JCFalkenbergIII, Mar 11, 2009
    #1
    brndirt1 likes this.
  2. brndirt1

    brndirt1 Saddle Tramp

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    Ouch, I don't know if I should thank you for posting this or not. Made me want to cry.
     
    brndirt1, Mar 11, 2009
    #2
  3. JCFalkenbergIII

    JCFalkenbergIII Expert

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    LOL Thanks Clint. It does look like the damage is minor and only to the propeller blade .
     
    JCFalkenbergIII, Mar 11, 2009
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  4. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    It is good to see that she doesn't look to be a total loss.
     
    Slipdigit, Mar 11, 2009
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  5. JCFalkenbergIII

    JCFalkenbergIII Expert

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    When I first read the headline I feared for the worse. It would have been a damn shame if it was a total loss.
     
    JCFalkenbergIII, Mar 11, 2009
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  6. Sloniksp

    Sloniksp Ставка

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    Glad it wasnt wrecked....
     
    Sloniksp, Mar 11, 2009
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  7. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    That's just awful. It's a beautiful looking machine.
     
    LRusso216, Mar 11, 2009
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  8. Richard

    Richard Expert

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    I do wonder if these vintage WW2 planes should still be flying when you see stories like that. Just glad it was only minor.
     
    Richard, Mar 11, 2009
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  9. AndyPants

    AndyPants Ace

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    I don't know Richard.......I mean these machines were designed and built to fly, they have a wonderful history, so in my opinion it would be an awlful shame if it were to be grounded, especially if it is still airworthy.
    I've been to several airshows and it's great to see modern jets pulling G's and flying by really fast (and loud).....but I get much more excited when the war birds fly by - theres something special about them.....

    :ac_p51b: :ac_p51b: :ac_p51b:
     
    AndyPants, Mar 11, 2009
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  10. JCFalkenbergIII

    JCFalkenbergIII Expert

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    With the increasing amount its seems over the last few years of WWII vintage aircraft crashing it appears that the chances are that as the years go on more and more may happen.
     
    JCFalkenbergIII, Mar 11, 2009
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  11. IntIron

    IntIron Member

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    'They don't usually land propeller first and apparently it bunny-hopped down the strip.'

    - No kidding, I thought they landed on their canopy. LOL.

    Great flying bird though, love it on Aces High 2. Horrible to see it with a bent propeller.

    Yours,

    Bill
     
    IntIron, Mar 11, 2009
    #11
  12. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

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    It's a sad story but - 'only surviving WWII Hurricane' ????? :confused:

    Ah - the freedom of the press ! :rolleyes:
     
    Martin Bull, Mar 12, 2009
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  13. razin

    razin Member

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    perhaps they are confused by the term Hurri-bomber:rolleyes:
     
    razin, Mar 12, 2009
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  14. JCFalkenbergIII

    JCFalkenbergIII Expert

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    "The Hawker Hurricane MK IIB - nicknamed the 'Hurribomber' - ended up on its nose after the undercarriage locked on touchdown.

    Its pilot was unhurt in the crash. The extent of the damage to the plane - the only one of its kind still flying - is not yet known.
    But at the very least, it is going to need a new propellor."

    Are there any other Hurricanes or "Hurribombers" still flying other then this one?
     
    JCFalkenbergIII, Mar 12, 2009
    #14
  15. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    I found this article while looking around. The last link may be part of what you are looking for.

    Hurricane MKII-B Aircraft

    On November 6, 1935, the first Hawker Hurricane designed by Sydney Camm, took flight. The original plans for the British Hurricane called for a Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine, four machine guns, and fixed landing gear. Instead, the first production of the Hurricane included a more powerful PV.12 Merlin engine, retractable landing gear and eight machine guns. Similar to the Hawker biplanes, the monoplane Hurricanes’ fuselage was built around a mold of four alloy and steel tube longerons known for its durability and simplicity. Initially, 600 Hurricane MkIs were ordered by the Royal Air Force on June 1936, and were in service by December 1937.
    [​IMG]​
    Production began on the Hurricane MkIIs, which had 1,185 hp Merlin XX engines and several different armament variations. The Hurricane MkIIA had eight machine guns, similar to the original Hurricane MkI; Version MkIIB carried twelve machine guns; MkIIC four 20 mm cannons; MkIID two 40 mm Vickers ‘S’ guns and two .303 inch guns. The last production version of the Hawker Hurricane was the MkIV with two underwing attachment points able to carry eight rockets, two bombs, or fuel bubbles.
    As the outbreak of the war became more apparent, an urgency for the fighter aircraft was a major issue. The decision was made to produce Hurricanes at the Canadian Car and Foundry plant in Fort William, Canada. The first order for the Canadian factory of 40 Hurricanes came on December 5, 1938. Design drawings and all the needed materials for the 40 planes were shipped overseas, and production began immediately.
    Eight months after the order was placed, an English inspector traveled to the Canadian factory and was amazed to see the wings were in the jigs and almost complete. This was a total surprise since the British were still producing their Hurricanes with fabric covered wings. The Canadians were very successful at producing the planes and orders continued to come in. Canadian-built Hurricanes went to several different countries. Russia received 200, 330 went to the Royal Air Force, Canada kept 480, and the remainder of the 1,451 built in Canada were sent to Malta, Egypt, India, Burma, and Portugal. Over 14,000 Hurricanes were built between Britain and Canada and were used by over 15 countries.
    Even though the Vickers Supermarine Spitfires outnumbered the Hurricanes in total production, 65% more Hurricanes fought for the RAF during the Battle of Britain than Spitfires. Hurricanes were also responsible for destroying more enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain than all other defense systems combined.
    The Fighter Factory’s Hurricane MkXII-B was built by the Canadian Car and Foundry in 1943. RCAF5667 was accepted on February 3, 1943 and stricken from the military records October 1, 1946. The plane sat derelict on a farm in Saskatchewan from 1948 to 1965 when it was purchased by a new owner in Vancouver, Washington. This owner performed a long term restoration and first flew the plane on May, 10, 1994. Unfortunately, 12 days later the plane was damaged while landing in Yakima, Washington. The plane is almost completely original including the Merlin-29 engine. This aircraft is currently flying in Virginia and will be at several air shows along the East Coast.
    Photos of our
    Hurricane MKII-B aircraft.​
    For more information on the
    Hurricane check out Hawker Restorations.​
    The Guide Book to the
    World's Surviving Hawker Hurricanes



    ​
    Fighter Factory - WWII Aircraft Recovery and Restoration

    ​
     
    LRusso216, Mar 12, 2009
    #15
  16. Thunderhawk88

    Thunderhawk88 recruit

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    It would have been a bloody tragedy had it totalled. I love the Hurri.

    I saw this one several years ago at the Planes of Fame Museum airshow...
    [​IMG]
     
    Thunderhawk88, Mar 13, 2009
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  17. razin

    razin Member

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    razin, Mar 13, 2009
    #17
    Richard likes this.
  18. Richard

    Richard Expert

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    I agree, but the last thing any of us want to see is one of these wonderful planes written off from a crash.
     
    Richard, Mar 13, 2009
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  19. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

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    So - the correct heading should be 'One of only five surviving plus several more ex-Lend-Lease Hurricanes under restoration to fly...'

    ..or maybe : 'Only surviving Hurricane with this serial number....' ;)
     
    Martin Bull, Mar 13, 2009
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  20. JCFalkenbergIII

    JCFalkenbergIII Expert

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    LOL Martin.
     
    JCFalkenbergIII, Mar 13, 2009
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