From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Holden ' s Lightning flight XM135 at Imperial War Museum Duxford Incident Date 22 July 1966 Summary Unqualified person takes off after engaging afterburner by mistake during ground test Site RAF Lyneham Aircraft Aircraft   type English Electric Lightning F.1 Operator RAF Maintenance Command Registration XM.135 Flight origin RAF Lyneham Destination RAF Lyneham Occupants 1 Crew 1 Fatalities 0 Survivors 1 On 22 July 1966, Walter "Taffy" Holden, a 39-year-old engineer in command of No. 33 Maintenance Unit RAF with limited experience flying small single-engine trainer aircraft, inadvertently engaged the afterburner of a Mach 2.0–capable English Electric Lightning during ground testing at RAF Lyneham . Unable to disengage the afterburner, Holden ran down the runway, narrowly missing a crossing fuel bowser and a de Havilland Comet taking off, before taking off himself.…