Major Stephen Kaatz and 38 year old Lt-Col William Harold Olson flew to
RAF Wainfleet, and collided in mid-air at around 2,000 ft, both in their
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, at Tuesday 18 November 1980 at 9.15am. Kaatz ejected safely, and his aircraft crashed near the village, towards
Saxthorpe. 44 year old David Green, of Wingfield House, was taken to Norwich hospital with a back injury, after being hit by debris, when out walking. He was a senior air traffic controller at Norwich Airport. The day before,
Hawker Siddeley Nimrod 'XV256', from
RAF Kinloss, had crashed, killing two out of the twenty RAF personnel on board; it had flown through a flock of sea birds, damaging three of its four engines, on take off. Stephen Kaatz, from
Jenison, Michigan landed in the pub car park. Olson, born 20 December 1941 from
DeBary, Florida, ejected over
Winterton-on-Sea, to the east, and landed in the sea. An RAF rescue helicopter took off at 9.34am, to head to Itteringham, but at 9.40am was requested to rescue Lt-Col Olson instead. In the pilot seat was 28 year old Flt Lt Adrian Nockles, with winch operator John Reeson. Olson would be killed, with a 38 year old RAF winchman,
Master Air Load Master with
202 Sqn at
RAF Coltishall, when a winch line snapped. The waves were around 15 ft high. The winchman was originally from
Grantham in
Lincolnshire, but born in Wick in Scotland, attending the
Boys' Central School, and was awarded the George Medal, in August 1981. He had lived at Malton Close in
Aylsham, where he is buried. An RAF training facility, in North Wales, was named after the winchman, in May 2018. Another rescue helicopter, a
Sikorsky MH-53 from the
67th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron at
RAF Woodbridge, arrived around 10.10am, and two
United States Air Force Pararescue, with full diving equipment, were dropped into the sea. Lt-Col Olson is buried at
Hethersett parish church. == Mannington Hall ==