Engineer accidentally flies a Mach 2 Lightning after engaging afterburner by mistake

Holden's Lightning Flight

In 1966, RAF engineer Walter "Taffy" Holden, with only limited flying experience on small trainers, inadvertently engaged the afterburner of an English Electric Lightning during a ground test at RAF Lyneham. Unable to disengage it, he narrowly avoided a fuel tanker and a taking-off Comet, then took off himself. Flying without a helmet or canopy, with the ejection seat disabled and landing gear down, he made two aborted landing attempts before a successful third, albeit with a tailstrike. The aircraft returned to service and is now displayed at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.