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Defence has begun an investigation into what caused an Air Force Hawk 127 to divert to Coffs Harbour airport this morning.
Two Hawk aircraft were conducting a routine training mission, when the pilot of one aircraft declared an airborne emergency and diverted to Coffs Harbour.
The damaged Hawk circled over the ocean to reduce its fuel load, and the pilot of the second aircraft conducted a visual check for damage.
The damaged aircraft landed safely at Coffs Harbour airport while the second returned to RAAF Base Williamtown near Newcastle. There were no injuries.
“Air Force provides intensive training so our pilots are well prepared to handle contingencies like this. The two Hawk pilots dealt with this incident in a calm and professional way,” Group Captain Alan Clements, Chief of Staff, Air Combat Group, said.
“Air Force is serious about safety. Two Defence teams are travelling to Coffs Harbour. One team includes aviation safety specialists who will investigate what caused the incident. The investigation will focus on the probability the aircraft clipped a power line approximately 25 nautical miles east of Armidale,” Group Captain Clements said.
The second team will conduct a detailed damage assessment. The Hawk has sustained some damage to its left wing. It is uncertain at this stage what it will cost to repair the aircraft.
Both aircraft belong to 76 Squadron at RAAF Williamtown. Air Force operates Hawk 127s as a lead-in fighter training aircraft.
I was in the Falklands at the time of the F4 wirestrike. IIRC the wire was at Saunders Island and was an HF radio wire strung between two poles about 30ft high. Didnt know he'd done it until he returned to MPA and his groundcrew found the damage. Some flyby it must have been.
IIRC, it was a radio aerial; and when the plods went to investigate the height of said aerial, the inhabitants of the reputed location stoutly denied it had happened and refused to cooperate.
As the CBFFI said, it was the only place he knew where he received complaints because settlements didn't receive regular flypasts.....
I vaguely recall talk at Honington of a Bucc on det in Norway landing at Bardufoss(?) with a good length of Noggy phone wire wrapped around the fin/tailplane bullet.
Course it may have been strung across a valley. Maybe.
I heard many a war story about the bucc's coming back with green "paint" on the underside - some even had little brown sticks as well. I saw photos taken of bucc's doing a beatup and it looked like the intake was level with the head of a guy standing on a houchin.
Many, many, moons ago, there was a Jag mate who took off the top of the fin hitting the bottom wire between a couple of pylons. He claimed, over a few pints, that he would have got away with it if he hadn't instinctively pulled up slightly, when he first saw them, before deciding he had to go under.
Ah, an HF aerial. 30' thats OK then. Wasn't Smoky was on the Unit Inquiry?
Taxydual: you are quite correct, Smokey was in charge of the inquiry. Seem to remember the F4 pilot was known as "Kenny", shared the same surname as a well known comedian at the time.
I also believe that he took the aerial wire whilst at a high angle of bank so wingtip clearance was not a lot.
Locals did indeed deny it but word soon got around that they thought it was the best flyby seen.
We've had a few scratchy heads around here trying to work out what sort of power lines they could have been. The spacing of the dents on the wing don't appear to match up with any known cable spacing. Must have been at a funny angle....
Talking of banana jets, there was a flight of four in Turkey I think (mid 80's) flying down a valley when they came across cables strung across the valley. From what I was told, 1 went over, 2 and 3 went under, and 4 went through! Got back safe with no refueling probe or canopy and a white face navigator (the cable apparently had gone up the nose, up the windscreen, through the canopy and hit the blast shield in front of the Nav).
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