Jet Provost XP670 between Coxwold and Kilburn.
On the 5th of April 1966 this Jet Provost was being flown over North Yorkshire to test the aircrafts instruments at high altitude,
on board were two pilots and at the time of the crash were begining to head back to Church Fenton, their
home base. The aircraft was put into a spin in cloud and to have failed to recover from this spin following a barrel roll at
9000 feet over Byland. Unable to regain control in the available height the two crew ejected and they came down near High Kilburn.
The aircraft circled pilotless for a while before
crashing into the ground into the side of a house alongside the Coxwold to Kilburn road. The house sustained slight damage
but was repaired. The two airmen survived although one received slight back injuries. Witnesses recalled seeing the aircraft
circling with the canopy blown off and there being no pilot inside. The aircraft caught fire on impact and set the house
on fire, the fire was put out by the fire brigade soon after however before extensive damage was caused.
Jet Provost XP670 was built to contract KC/E/041 by B.A.C. at Luton and delivered to 7 FTS on 10th September 1962.
Prior to its loss at Kilburn it was damaged twice before, once in a Cat.3 incident on 18th April 1963 when it was overstressed
when the stick was pushed back to hard and the aircrafts instructor attempted to counteract the pull force, nearly 7 "g" was registered.
The aircraft was landed at base but sustained damage, it was repaired only to sustained damage at Cat. 2
on 16th June 1965 before being repaired again. It was finally written off with Cat.5/s damage in the incident detailed above.
Instructor Pilot - F/Lt Peter Goodman (507763), aged 28, ok.
Pupil Pilot - F/Lt Peter G Cowen RAF (608080), aged 25, ok.
General overview of the crash site, the outbuilding attached to the house looks to have been rebuilt following the
crash and resulting fire. The house is along side the Coxwold to Kilburn road but shows no sign of a name board to identify it.
Peter Cowen trained at Cranwell, he was appointed a permenant commission in the RAF as P/O on 1st August 1961 and
rose to F/O on 1st August 1962 (with seniority back dated to 1st August 1961), then to F/Lt on 28th July 1965 and S/Ldr on 1st July 1973.
As F/Lt he was awarded The Queen's Commendation for Valuable in the Queens Birthday Honours in June 1972.
Service in the Air.
He retired on account of medical unfittness on 6th December 1975.
Peter Goodman was appointed to a permenant commission in the RAF as F/Lt on 18th February 1964 and rose to S/Ldr on 1st January 1971 and
W/C on 1st January 1981.
