Lightning F.2 XN774 at Leconfield airfield.
On 15th October 1962 this 19 Squadron aircraft took off from Leconfield airfield normally. When the pilot raised the undercarriage a warning light in the cockpit showed the nose undercarriage leg had failed to retract correctly. He attempted to lower and raise it a number of times but could not fix the problem. He made a low pass of the control tower and people in the tower informed him there was indeed an issue with the leg. He later flew out to sea and jettisoned a belly drop tank and then returned to make a landing at Leconfield. Foam had been sprayed onto the runway incase a fire broke out but he managed to keep the nose up, landing on the main legs until the speed dropped off and he had to settle on the nose. It slid to a halt having sustained minor damage.
Pilot - F/Lt David Maxwell Jones RAF (4179258)