The English Electric Lightning entered RAF squadron service in 1960 & continued flying in the interceptor role until 1988. It had a stunning world-beating performance with a top speed in excess of Mach 2 & a climb rate that would take it to 40 000 feet in a little over 3 minutes. The aircraft's safety record however left much to be desired. During a period in the early 1970s the attrition rate was the loss of a Lightning every month. There was a six per cent chance of a pilot experiencing an engine fire & a one in four chance that he would not survive. This book looks at Lightning accidents & incidents in chronological order using the official accident reports Board of Enquirey findings & first-hand accounts from pilots. It puts the reader very much 'in the cockpit'.