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Old 20th Jan 2019, 19:17
  #147 (permalink)  
DON T
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Wilts
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Originally Posted by ORAC
Nearly got killed in a car crash by the head of U2 operations in Cyprus back in 1977.

The detachment had had just been allowed to start going off the SBA and he came out to Cyprus on a visit and he, along with the detachment commander, came up to 280SU on a curtesy call as we provided their radar surveillance. The plan was to meet in the mess and go down to Kakpetria for a meze in their SUV. What we were unaware of was that they had been drinking all afternoon.

Halfway down the mountain the car left the road, rolled down a slope and ended up in a storm drain on its roof. Thankfully the water only half filled the interior and we were able to kick out the windscreen. In the car along with the two of them were me and, IIRC, HW.

Police attended, taken to hospital, lots of urgent telephone calls and both the Americans were off the island in 12 hours.

Shortly after the det had another crash off base which killed two female schoolteachers and injured two of their pilots. That left them so short they flew in another to maintain their flying schedule. He was the one who took out the ATC tower, Ops and Met office on his first take-off.

They got got barred from going base again after that.
RIP Al Henderson 7 December 1977

DON T is offline