Hawker Hurricane LF207

Beinn na Seilg, Kilchoan, Highland

MainMenu

NationalFlags

Operator/Nationality

Operating Country

UK (RAF)

Pilot Nationality

New Zealand (RNZAF)

MediaCredits

Acknowledgments

Information and accident data regarding this aircraft
was kindly provided by Phillip Jones, Researcher and Author,
and also contributor to Combined Operations website.
This website includes information on 516 Squadron RAF.

Many thanks also to Steve White for kindly providing photos, GPS and other data for this page.

Copyright Notice

All photos remain the property of their original author and may not be reproduced elsewhere without his prior written permission.

GoogleAds

Food/Drink

Local Area

Kilhoan

Kilhoan House Hotel (Tripadvisor)

Glenborrodale

Glenborrodale Castle Gatehouse (Cafe)

Strontian

Restaurants (Tripadvisor)

Restaurant-Guide

Fort William

Restaurants, Cafes, Bars.

Places to Eat

(Other suggestions welcomed)

Fast Food (Locate nearest)

NavigationAids

Maps, Compass, GPS

Maps

Ordnance Survey (OS) Maps (Hillwalking Bookshop)

Ordnance Survey (OS) Maps (Home page)

Harvey Maps

Computer Graded Map Reading Skills Test

Compass

Silva Compass

How to navigate with map and compass

GPS / SatNav

Is it time I bought a GPS (cautionary advice)

Walks with GPS Waypoints and GPS Data

Garmin

Magellan

Handtec.co.uk

Garmin, TomTom, and NavMan Sat Nav / GPS. Also, Mobiles, Smart Phones, iPhones, and laptops, etc.

Mobile Phones with GPS

mobile phones comparison

mobile fone reviews (GPS)

go4awalk.com

Advice, ideas, walks, places to stay, peaks and mountains, GPS waypoints, camping, and much more.

MunroMagic.com

All 283 Munros, 221 Corbetts and 224 Grahams are covered in detail including descriptions, pictures, location maps, walking routes, weather reports, and many tools to help you find all the mountain information you require.

OtherAircraft

Aircraft Indices

Aircraft Index (listed alphabetically by manufacturer).

Regions Index (list of crash sites by Regions / Districts).

Aircraft Type Photo

BELOW: Mk. I RAF Hawker Hurricane R4118. This restored aircraft was still flying in 2008.

Details of this Hurricane's appearances at air shows can be found at Hurricane Display.co.uk

mark 1 hawker hurricane r4118. Restored and still flying

Photo: 2006 Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone). Released by the author to the public domain.

Aircraft Type and Background

RAF Hawker Hurricane / LF207

Aircraft Type Nickname: "Hurry"; "Flying Tin Openers"; "Flying Can Openers" (later versions).

A military single-seat interceptor / fighter / bomber flown by the Royal Air Force. The Hurricane was designed by Sydney Camm and built mainly by Hawker Aircraft Ltd.

The Hawker Hurricane was equipped with 1 Rolls Royce liquid-cooled Merlin III 12-cylinder power plant. Later versions had Merlin XX, XXI or XXII power plants.

The Hurricane fighter-bomber was armed with eight .303 inch Browning machine guns mounted on the wings. The Mark IV version also carried 2 x 250lb or 500lb bombs or fragmentation bombs. Some Hurricane Mark IVs were equipped with rocket projectiles,100m).

Aircraft Accident Details

NOTE: The accident details for this aircraft and also for Hurricane LF160 which crashed at Hyne on the Isle of Coll have much in common, as both aircraft were part of the same training exercise.

The Hawker Hurricane featured here was attached to 516 Squadron, 26 Group Bomber Command, then operating out of RAF Connel near Oban on the west coast of Scotland. This aircraft was flown by Flt Lt A. J. Woodgate (R.N.Z.A.F).

Together with two other Hurricanes, the pilot took off on a low-flying training exercise scheduled to take place just off Ardnamurchan Peninsula, NE of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. However, after completing the exercise and while beginning their flight back to RAF Connel, the pilots encountered heavy cloud and mist.

In an attempt to find the nearest suitable landing area, the three aircraft separated. Sadly, Flt Lt Woodgate failed to find a safe landing place, crashing on the side of Beinn na Seilg near Kilchoan on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. One of his colleagues, flying Hurricane LF106, crashed a few kilometres away at Hyne on the Isle of Coll. The third pilot crash-landed his Hurricane at Carse Farm, Stirling, and escaped from the accident.

Aircraft Pilot Casualty

The pilot who died at Beinn na Seilg, Kilchoan, was:

Flt Lt Arthur John Woodgate (21), Pilot, RNZAF (Photo at this site)

Flt Lt Woodgate was laid to rest at Troon Cemetery, Ayrshire.

A granite boulder overlooking this site and the crash site on the Isle of Coll bears a plaque dedicated to the memory of these pilots.

For a more comprehensive account of this accident, please see Phillip Jones' entry at Combined Operations website, under 516 Squadron.

Crash Site Photos

BELOW: The memorial cairn to Flt Lt Woodgate, located near the site where Hurricane LF207 crashed on the Isle of Coll. The small piece of wreckage on top of the cairn is one of the few remaining parts of this aircraft.

A short distance to the west of this cairn, and overlooking the second 516 Sqn Hurricane crash site on the Isle of Coll, a memorial plaque can be found, inscribed with the names of both pilots who died in these accidents.

memorial cairn to flt lt woodgate where lf207 crashed near beinn na seilg

BELOW: A small piece of wreckage protrudes upward from the rocks in the foreground.

small piece of wreckage protruding from rocks

BELOW: Small pitted fragments of aluminium lie almost completely camouflaged among the rocks. One piece is in the exact centre of this photo. The size of these fragments can be assessed by the size of the walking pole lying nearby.

small fragments of wreckage