Walter Holden Accidentally Took Off In a Fighter Jet – Even Though Didn’t Know How to Fly It

Photo Credit: Alisdair MacDonald / Daily Mirror / Mirrorpix / Getty Images (Colorized by Palette.fm)
Photo Credit: Alisdair MacDonald / Daily Mirror / Mirrorpix / Getty Images (Colorized by Palette.fm)

Not every member of the Royal Air Force (RAF) becomes a pilot; value is also placed on the contributions of crew members who maintain aircraft. Engineer Walter Holden encountered a potentially dangerous situation when, during routine maintenance on an English Electric Lightning, he accidentally wound up in the cockpit and began accelerating down the runway, unintentionally initiating a takeoff.

Walter Holden trained as a pilot

Members of the No. 111 Squadron RAF standing on the wing of an English Electric Lightning
No. 111 Squadron RAF with an English Electric Lightning, 1965. (Photo Credit: Peter Warren / Daily Mirror / Mirrorpix / Getty Images)

In 1943, Walter “Taffy” Holden joined the RAF and studied mechanical engineering while attending university. Despite initially not intending to become a pilot, he underwent mandatory flight training on a de Havilland Tiger Moth and, later on, a Harvard. Upon successful completion, he earned his pilot’s wings and subsequently flew a de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk.

Performing routine maintenance

English Electric Lightning F1s lined up on a runway
English Electric Lightning F1s of No. 74 Squadron RAF, at RAF Coltishall, 1961. (Photo Cedit: Evening Standard / Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

Walter Holden eventually turnd his focus from flying to concentrating on his RAF engineering career. Demonstrating excellence in his role, he rose to command the No. 33 Maintenance Unit RAF at RAF Lyneham by 1966. The unit played a crucial role in maintaining aircraft such as the English Electric Lightning, which was due for retirement, alongside Canberras and the Gloster Meteor.

Needing to test aircraft XM135

Members of No. 74 Squadron RAF walking past a row of English Electric Lightnings
Members of No. 74 Squadron RAF walking past a row of English Electric Lightning at the Farnborough Airshow, 1961. (Photo Credit: Evening Standard / Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

To officially wind down the fleet, Walter Holden needed a pilot to test aircraft XM135, but it would take over a week for one to arrive. Not wanting to wait, he decided to do it himself, since he only had to taxi the Lightning on the ground, to test different electrics – getting up to high RPMs, cutting the engine and, then, braking.

As he wasn’t going airborne, Holden donned no helmet or radio, instead communicating with his ground crew via hand signals. There was no canopy on the aircraft, the landing gear was locked in a down position and the ejector seat wasn’t functional.

Things take a turn…

English Electric Lightning taking off
English Electric Lightning F1 with No. 74 Squadron RAF at the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, 1961. (Photo Credit: Evening Standard / Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

The first test went smoothly. However, during the second, Walter Holden accidentally pushed the throttle past the afterburner gate. Being inexperienced with the Lightning, he didn’t know how to disengage it.

Soon, the aircraft was accelerating rapidly. He narrowly avoided a fuel tanker and a low-flying de Havilland Comet, but he was fast approaching a village at the end of the runway. With no way to stop and little time left, Holden’s only option was to take off.

A touchy landing

English Electric Lightning XM135 on display
English Electric Lightning XM135. (Photo Credit: Alan Wilson / Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0)

Once Walter Holden was in the air, he was able to turn off the afterburner and think about landing. He twice tried, but couldn’t get the Lightning’s position right. He was successful on his third attempt, but his inexperience saw him land the aircraft how one would a taildragger. This resulted in the tail smashing into the runway and breaking off the drogue parachute, which would have helped him slow down.

Even without it, Holden was able to get XM135 to stop – with only 300 feet of runway left. His total flight time was around 12 minutes.

Walter Holden wasn’t punished for the incident

English Electric Lightning F1 XM470 taxiing down a runway
English Electric Lightning F1 XM740 with the RAF 74 Tiger Squad landing after a formation flying routine at the 1962 SBAC show at Farnborough. (Photo Credit: Victor Crawshaw / Daily Mirror / Mirrorpix / Getty Images)

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.

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

Rosemary Giles

Rosemary Giles is a history content writer with Hive Media. She received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and her master of arts degree in history from Western University. Her research focused on military, environmental, and Canadian history with a specific focus on the Second World War. As a student, she worked in a variety of research positions, including as an archivist. She also worked as a teaching assistant in the History Department.

Since completing her degrees, she has decided to take a step back from academia to focus her career on writing and sharing history in a more accessible way. With a passion for historical learning and historical education, her writing interests include social history, and war history, especially researching obscure facts about the Second World War. In her spare time, Rosemary enjoys spending time with her partner, her cats, and her horse, or sitting down to read a good book.

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