Hawker Aircraft Ltd. HUNTER T MK 8 accident near Manchester, New Hampshire, June 18, 1998
On June 18, 1998 at about 3:16 pm local time, a Hawker Aircraft Ltd. HUNTER T MK 8, registered N745WT, was destroyed in an accident near Manchester, New Hampshire (Manchester Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuel exhaustion, resulting from the pilot's reliance on an inaccurate fuel quantity indicating system. A factor in the pilot's death was his intentional delay of the ejection sequence in order to avoid people and property on the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1998 · about 3:16 pm local time
- Place
- Manchester, New Hampshire · Manchester Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hawker Aircraft Ltd. HUNTER T MK 8 HUNTER T M
- Registration
- N745WT · no longer on the register · serial 41H695947
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The vintage ex-military jet was on an airworthiness test flight after a 12-year rebuilding process. Thirty-five minutes into the flight, and while on approach to an airport, the pilot announced over the radio that he wanted to conduct multiple landings. A little over 2 minutes later, he stated that the airplane would make a full stop, and 7 seconds after that, the pilot reported that he would have to eject. The engine had flamed out, but the pilot stayed with airplane until it cleared a crowded parking lot. The pilot did not survive the low trajectory ejection. Post-accident analysis revealed that one fuel gauge was frozen around 575 pounds, while the other had a needle slap mark at 740 pounds. All four fuselage fuel tanks were found empty, while both inboard wing tanks contained some fuel. The amount of fuel in the wing tanks at the time of the accident was undetermined due to tank leakage from the impact.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,500 hours in all; 236 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,192 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 1998; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 25,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce AVON 122 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHT at 2:41 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 17, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:20 pm from MHT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.