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Woodborough 1966 jets' crash remembered | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
Fifty years ago two aerobatic jets collided mid-air over a village, with the pilots and residents miraculously escaping serious injury. | Fifty years ago two aerobatic jets collided mid-air over a village, with the pilots and residents miraculously escaping serious injury. |
Debris was showered over a wide area of Woodborough, Nottinghamshire, in 1966, when the Provost planes crashed. | |
"It was a miracle no-one was killed," said David Rose, talking of the crash, which happened as children were walking to school. | "It was a miracle no-one was killed," said David Rose, talking of the crash, which happened as children were walking to school. |
Two of the pilots took part in an anniversary event in the village. | |
"One pilot [who'd ejected, floated down] a few yards away from me," said Mr Rose. | "One pilot [who'd ejected, floated down] a few yards away from me," said Mr Rose. |
He said he asked the pilot if he "was okay and took him in my Land Rover to get help". | He said he asked the pilot if he "was okay and took him in my Land Rover to get help". |
Tim Thorn was flying one of the planes, with fellow pilot Mike Sedman - Mr Thorn's student at the time - sat next to him. | |
Thursday was the first time the pair had returned to the village since the crash. | |
Mr Thorn said the exercise the pair were going to do was designed to teach Mr Sedman how to recover from a spin. | |
"I remember vividly seeing the aeroplane as we came out of cloud," Mr Sedman said. "He [Mr Thorn] looked behind and I was looking ahead and I saw these four aeroplanes coming towards us. | |
"He tried to take avoiding action...but we still hit them - there was this huge explosion as we hit." | |
Mr Thorn said: "It chopped off the back of our aircraft, so we had no wings and no tail." | |
As a result of the crash, the duo were unable to fly for six months but continued to pursue careers in aviation, occasionally encountering each other along the way. | |
One news report of the day said the only casualty was a man who was stung by nettles when he dove into a ditch to avoid some falling debris. | One news report of the day said the only casualty was a man who was stung by nettles when he dove into a ditch to avoid some falling debris. |
"[But] it was total chaos. I could see debris flying everywhere," another eyewitness, Mike Batt, remembered. | "[But] it was total chaos. I could see debris flying everywhere," another eyewitness, Mike Batt, remembered. |
"It was scattered all over the village. | "It was scattered all over the village. |
"The schoolchildren were just walking to school at the time, as everyone walked in those days, but none of them were hurt." | "The schoolchildren were just walking to school at the time, as everyone walked in those days, but none of them were hurt." |
A Daily Mail article reported four aircrafts were in the air in total, two of which "brushed while in formation" and crashed. | |
"The two instructors and a student pilot parachuted to safety," it noted. | "The two instructors and a student pilot parachuted to safety," it noted. |
Margaret Freeman, who was 23 at the time, was working at the post office on the village's main street when a customer ran in saying a plane was about to crash. | Margaret Freeman, who was 23 at the time, was working at the post office on the village's main street when a customer ran in saying a plane was about to crash. |
"One of the pilots parachuted from the plane and landed near the Four Bells and the other one landed near Mrs Russell's house on Main Street," she remembered. | "One of the pilots parachuted from the plane and landed near the Four Bells and the other one landed near Mrs Russell's house on Main Street," she remembered. |
Mrs Freeman said she went to the crash site later and took "a small piece of metal" from the plane that she kept as a souvenir. | Mrs Freeman said she went to the crash site later and took "a small piece of metal" from the plane that she kept as a souvenir. |
She said villagers gathered at the church later for a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the fact that no-one was killed. | |
Mr Rose, who took a series of black and white photos on the day, added: "I always carry a camera with me and I had one that day - an old Kodak Brownie. | Mr Rose, who took a series of black and white photos on the day, added: "I always carry a camera with me and I had one that day - an old Kodak Brownie. |
"I took a photo of the debris that landed in Governor's Field - if it had landed a few yards further it would have destroyed the vicarage." | "I took a photo of the debris that landed in Governor's Field - if it had landed a few yards further it would have destroyed the vicarage." |
Howard Heeley, of the Newark Air Museum, said: "There is a church memorial (in Woodborough) to the crash that says 'Thanks be to God no one was hurt'. | Howard Heeley, of the Newark Air Museum, said: "There is a church memorial (in Woodborough) to the crash that says 'Thanks be to God no one was hurt'. |
"It it is the only (air crash) memorial in Nottinghamshire that I know of that commemorates the living instead of the dead. | "It it is the only (air crash) memorial in Nottinghamshire that I know of that commemorates the living instead of the dead. |
"One thing is certain - the airmen were lucky and village was lucky that day." | "One thing is certain - the airmen were lucky and village was lucky that day." |