Hawk at Sinnington Manor.

BAe Hawk XX183.

On the 23rd of July 2003 two Hawk jets were on a training exercise over Ryedale. Although based at Valley in North Wales, the aircraft were on detachment to RAF Linton on Ouse in Yorkshire. At 12.46 PM the aircraft were flying east to west when a bird struck one of the aircraft, this then went down into the engine and caused the engine to fail. The trainee pilot was left with no option but to eject after directing his aircraft downwards, he came down in a field just west of Sinnington near Strawberry Fields. His aircraft crashed into a disused railway cutting about a mile west of Sinnington near Dawson's Wood at Sinnington Manor, disintergrated and caught fire. The wreckage was spread along the railway cutting and in nearby fields. Police and other services were soon on the scene and the pilot was taken by Sea King helicopter to Scarborough Hospital where he was kept in over night with minor leg and back injuries. The spare navigators seat was also found in a field close to where the pilot landed, a heavy guard was placed on this as the seat had not fired. A number of witnesses heard a few small bangs over Sinnington, one of which would have been the pilots seat firing. The aircraft was almost 26 years old, it was delivered to the RAF on 7 Nov 1977. It had then spent some time with the Royal Navy before returning to the RAF. It had just had a major overhaul completed on it in March 2003.

Pilot - Unknown, not seriously injured.

The railway cutting with the remains of the aircraft, taken just before the clear up operation started.

The pilot landed in this field, just west of Sinnington.

Some of the aircraft wreckage in a field, the majority of the aircraft stayed confined to the railway cutting behind and to the right of where the visable wreckage in the field is.

I visited the area on the evening of the 23rd July and took some photos, the parachute was still in the field at 5PM on the day but had gone by 7PM. The aircraft wreckage was still at the scene on the night of the 24th July and a heavy RAF presence was still at the site. I visited the surrounding area and took afew photos of the general area. The aircraft was finally removed on the 27th and 28th of July 2003.

Caroline and I visited the site in October 2003. The RAF did a fairly good job of clearing up, however there are still alot of small burnt peices of the aircraft in the railway cutting and at the edge of the field where the aircraft struck before going into the cutting. We found afew peices of perspex from the Hawk, both only have a slight curve on them suggesting they were from the base of the canopy or front screen. We also found a hydrolic valve, some piping and a electronic relay of some sort. All was left there (pics to come). My thanks to Mrs Wilson of Sinnington Manor for allowing me to go on their land and for the photo of the railway cutting on this page.

Me at the crash site in October 2003.