Originally Posted by
Tankertrashnav
I note the combined ages of the two pilots was 146. Any other eyebrows raised at this?
More worrying to my mind is the age of the a/c. No doubt it was serviced with tender love and care, but no amount of tlc can alter the fact that it was built to standards (and military ones at that) which have since been superseded. I'm not trying to anticipate the investigation's findings, but there has been a number of these vintage a/c accidents and incidents over the years.
Engine reliability alone has improved enormously since this aircraft's time. On this side of the pond the RAF Memorial Flight's Dakota and Lancaster have both had engine issues, in the latter case leading to serious fire damage and a near tragic outcome. I am reminded of the Blenheim accident displaying at Denham some years ago. Unrehearsed and on a whim the pilot tried to perform a touch and go landing. An engine failed, control was lost, and only by a miracle did the two occupants emerge alive. A veteran who used to fly them in service then advised, "You never did a touch and go in a Blenheim, as an engine would invariably quit on you when you tried to open up".
These vintage aircraft were built to military airworthiness standards that have long since become obsolete. Is it time to consider the wisdom of keeping them flying at all, let alone carrying fare paying passengers?