Photograph via Mr John Aston.
The pilot of this Bulldog aircraft made a forced landing on the 21st of September 1978 on Cockayne Ridge, Bilsdale Moor due to an
engine failure. Unfortunately the area selected is a very soft peat moor and the wheels seem likely to have sunk into the ground on touching down.
Both the crew were killed when the aircraft stopped dead in the soft peat. Although Unit was based at Leeming there is a strong possiblity the aircraft had been using Topcliffe airfield and had taken off from there prior to the crash.
This was the first RAF Bulldog crash in over 150,000 hours of total flying.
A Bulldog, XX637, on show at RAF Hendon Museum has been reserial numbered "XX530" possibly in respect of this aircrafts' loss.
21.09.78. Bulldog T.1 XX530, RNEFTS Leeming. Details as you have them plus:
The aircraft was built to contract KA/C/147 by Scottish Aviation at Prestwick and first flew on 30th May 1973. It was delivered to
Little Rissington on 20th June 1973 in an unpainted condition. The aircraft's record states it was attached to CFS at Little Rissington
but this seems unlikley as the aircraft was quickly transferred to 5 MU at Kemble from where it was issued in August 1973 to 2 FTS at
Church Fenton coded "-12". (At this point on it's record it states to a/c was transferred to Oxford UAS at Abingdon but this also seems
unlikely, it may have been on loan for a short period of time). The aircraft was transferred to RNEFTS at Leeming which operated
within 3 FTS on 29th November 1974 and still carried the code "-12". It was written off in the incident above with Cat. 5/FA damage.
The remains were taken to RAF Manston Fire School.
Pilot and Instructor - F Lt John David (Jack) Piercy RAF (2616559), aged 30, of Surrey. Buried Ampleforth Churchyard, Yorkshire (grave 252).
Student Pilot - Midshipman Mark Simon RN (C025993D), aged 19, of Dartford, Kent. Buried ?
Mark Simon was born 13th March 1959 in Dartford, Kent. At the time of his death he was attached to HMS Heron.
John Skinn and I searched for this crash site in June 2003, we found no wreckage but located the area of the crash site after
lining up the hillside as a press photo appeared.
John and I returned to the area in May 2004, armed with another photograph of the aircraft in situ, we lined up the
moors features to determine where the aircraft came to a halt. Nothing remains of the Bulldog at the site. The photograph shows the area.
John Piercy was born 2nd October 1947 in Worcester Park, North East Surrey. It seems likely that he attended Ampleforth College.
