1995 Royal Air Force Nimrod R1 ditching

On Tuesday 16 May 1995, a Royal Air Force Nimrod R1 aircraft suffered an in-flight engine fire which led to the aircraft having to ditch in the Moray Firth. This was the first of two Nimrods to be lost in 1995; it was followed by the crash of a Nimrod MR2 in Canada in September.

Crash details

On 16 May 1995, following the completion of major servicing work, XW666 had departed RAF Kinloss on a routine air test flight with a crew of seven on board. Thirty-five minutes into the flight, after a test of the anti-icing system, the fire warning light of number 4 engine came on. At this, the crew began the fire drill procedures but, while this was taking place, the warning light for the number 3 engine also illuminated. Following this, a member of the crew confirmed that the aircraft was indeed on fire, with panels falling from the starboard wing. At this point, the captain, who had attempted to divert to RAF Lossiemouth, elected to instead try and ditch the aircraft in the Moray Firth, as it was unclear whether the structural integrity would hold, and whether control could be maintained any longer. Despite the lack of flaps, which were not functional due to hydraulic failure associated with the fire, the pilot was able to make a controlled ditching on the waters of the Moray Firth. This caused the fuselage to break into two pieces, which eventually sank.