An RAF Engineer Found Himself In a Dangerous Situation After Accidentally Taking Off In a Fighter Jet

Not every member of the RAF works as a pilot; much emphasis is also placed on the crew tasked with making sure the aircraft stays in peak condition. One of these crew members, engineer Walter Holden, got himself into a potentially hazardous situation during a standard maintenance check on an English Electric Lightning. While inside the cockpit, he unintentionally triggered a takeoff sequence as he sped down the runway.

Walter Holden trained as a pilot

In 1943, Walter "Taffy" Holden enlisted in the RAF and pursued mechanical engineering at the same time as his university studies. Although his original plans did not involve piloting, he underwent mandatory flight training on a de Havilland Tiger Moth and later on a Harvard aircraft. Following his successful training, he was awarded his pilot's wings and proceeded to pilot a de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk.

Performing routine maintenance

Walter Holden shifted his attention from aviation to focusing on his career in RAF engineering. Excelling in his duties, he advanced to lead the No. 33 Maintenance Unit RAF at RAF Lyneham by 1966. The unit played a key role in the upkeep of aircraft like the English Electric Lightning, slated for retirement, as well as Canberras and the Gloster Meteor .

Needing to test aircraft XM135

To officially decommission the fleet, Walter Holden needed a pilot to test aircraft XM135, but it would take over a week for one to arrive. Unwilling to wait he decided to do it himself , as he only needed to taxi the Lightning on the ground to test various electrical systems - reaching high RPMs, shutting down the engine, and then braking.

Since he wasn't taking off, Holden didn't wear a helmet or use a radio, instead relying on hand signals to communicate with his ground crew. The aircraft had no canopy, the landing gear was locked in the down position, and the ejector seat wasn't working.

Things take a turn...

The initial test proceeded without issues. However, during the second one, Walter Holden accidentally pushed the throttle beyond the afterburner gate. Lacking experience with the Lightning, he was unsure how to disengage it.

Before long, the aircraft began accelerating swiftly. He narrowly avoided a fuel tanker and a low-flying de Havilland Comet, but he was rapidly approaching a village at the end of the runway. With no way to halt and precious little time remaining, Holden had no choice but to take off.

A touchy landing

Once Walter Holden was airborne, he turned off the afterburner and began to focus on landing. He attempted it twice but couldn’t position the Lightning correctly. On his third try, he succeeded, but his lack of experience led him to land the aircraft as if it were a taildragger. Because of this, the tail struck the runway, breaking off the drogue parachute that could have helped in slowing him down.

Despite this, Holden managed to bring XM135 to a stop with just 300 feet of runway remaining. His entire flight lasted approximately 12 minutes.

Walter Holden wasn't punished for the incident

Despite the way he landed, the Lightning was repaired and returned to service until 1974, when it was put on display at Imperial War Museum Duxford. Holden emerged without a scratch, but was put on leave in Italy after the media caught wind of the story. He wasn't punished, and only had to admit that he should have left the test to a pilot familiar with Lightnings.

Want War History Online 's content sent directly to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter here!

With this small slap on the wrist, he continued serving with the RAF until the early 1980s.