From Wikipedia:
“At the time of introduction the Royal Navy only had a couple of large carriers. Most were still quite small and the Scimitar was a comparatively large and powerful aircraft. Landing accidents were common, and the introduction of the type was marred by a fatal accident which took the life of Cdr John Russell, commanding officer of 803 Naval Air Squadron, the first squadron to operate the Scimitar. After making a perfect landing on the newly-recommissioned HMS Victorious, and in full view of the press, one of the arrestor wires broke, and Russell’s Scimitar fell into the sea. With no means of ejecting through the jammed canopy, and despite the best efforts of the planeguard to perform a rescue, Russell’s Scimitar sank to the bottom and Cdr Russell drowned.[12] Overall the Scimitar suffered from a high loss rate; 39 were lost in a number of accidents, amounting to 51% of the Scimitar’s total production run.[1]”
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