[Carruthers]

RAF Lightning fighter. That's a famous shot on this side of the Atlantic.

All you need to know...

Crashed on final approach to Hatfield, whilst involved in the Red Top AAM programme, on 13-9-62. Whilst carrying out a demonstration flight, there was a fire in the aircraft's reheat zone. Un-burnt fuel in the rear fuselage had been ignited by a small crack in the jet pipe and had weakened the tailplane actuator anchorage. This weakened the tailplane control system which failed with the aircraft at 100 feet on final approach.

Fortunately the nose pitched up, giving test pilot George Aird time to eject. He came down through a greenhouse roof, breaking both legs and right thigh. He was unconscious due to the impact of landing and was woken by jets of cold water from the greenhouse's sprinkler system. He later recovered to resume his flying career.

This aircraft is one the featured in the famous (and much syndicated) photograph of the pilot’s ejection watched by a tractor driver. According to some sources, including the tractor driver who appears in the picture, the photographer was paid £1,000 (equal to £18,607 at 2012 prices) by The "Daily Mirror" for the photograph.

Other newspapers originally dismissed the photograph as a fake...until the Ministry of Defence tried to put a "D Notice" on the photograph banning its publication, which confirmed that it was indeed real and not a fake!

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