Hawker Hunter N345AX, operated by red air contractor ATAC but formerly a UK airshow star as G-PSST, went down a few miles off the California coast on Sep. 22. The pilot was rescued by a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter.
Local news reports indicate that the wreckage of the jet has yet to be found, with authorities cautioning maritime traffic in the area to be cautious of potential debris or other hazards. Hawker Hunters, an early Cold War British design, are equipped with older generations of Martin Baker ejection seats, allowing the pilot to escape clear from the stricken aircraft.
Radio communications from the jet’s pilot, using radio callsign ATAC 34, document a ‘mayday’ call in which he says he has lost thrust from the jet’s single Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engine.
ATAC34 (ATAC MK-58 Hawker Hunter) declaring a MAYDAY with BEAVER CONTROL advising he has lost thrust.
Audio via @liveatc https://t.co/m4Y8ikFB2B pic.twitter.com/m0qitnU6o8
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) September 23, 2026
The aircraft, formerly one of the UK airshow circuit’s most recognisable performers, was sold to Canadian firm Lortie Aviation in 2017. Lortie Aviation, through subsidiary Hunter Aviation, leases Hawker Hunter aircraft out for use by other firms including ATAC.
This is the second incident in a year involving an ATAC Hunter suffering a loss of power before crashing off the coast of California, with one of N345AX’s sister jets going down in a similar location in October 2025. In that case as well, the pilot was rescued.
As we reported at the time:
This is not the first incident for ATAC involving a Hawker Hunter. At least nine previous incidents involving the type in ATAC’s service are recorded by the Aviation Safety Network, with at least four of these involving the total loss of an airframe. In two of these instances the crashes were tragically also fatal.
Known affectionately as ‘Miss Demeanour’ in the UK, the jet carried the registration G-PSST – which pilot and owner Jonathan Whaley chose to stand for ‘personal supersonic transport’. The Hunter is a transonic aircraft, which can hit high subsonic speeds in level flight and creep just beyond the sound barrier while in a dive.
Commenting on the official Facebook page used for Miss Demeanour when active on the airshow circuit, the former owner said he is “devastated” to hear the news.
It was constructed as a Hunter F4 in 1956 for the Royal Air Force as XF947, then subsequently converted to F58A specification for the Swiss Air Force, where it remained in service until the late 1990s.
ATAC and other contractors have long used the Hunter as an adversarial jet, taking advantage of its excellent performance while benefitting from the lower operating costs associated with what is a relatively simple aircraft design compared to other options. It was also one of the primary surplus jets available when many of these companies were first developing their fleets, with surplus Mirages and F-16s only becoming available much later.
ATAC HUNTER DOWN….SNAKE04 / N345AX…GOOD EJECT….NAVY has pilot safe #BREAKING #MORROBAY (PHOTO IS FROM MUGU/GRAY FLAG 09-16-26) 09-22-26 pic.twitter.com/9NLtDAVFIY
— Matt Hartman (@ShorealoneFilms) September 23, 2026
After joining ATAC, the jet’s famous bright colour scheme was changed to a two-tone grey camouflage.
This is a developing news story and may be updated if and when new information becomes available.
