Hi Treaders,
My Father was at Huntings and was very much involved in the accident inquiry in to Jack Overbury's JP accident . As Hunting's Chief Defects Engineer he had done a repair scheme on that JP 2 , following an earlier belly landing incident. Naturally that repair came under suspicion during the investigation causing my father a lot of stress and many sleepless nights.
It was however ascertained that the uplock on the JP undercarriage could be by passed under high "g'. By flying similar a/c and gradually building up the nosewheel doors opening profiles, the tendency for a violent pitch up as the leg tried to descend was established , causing wing failure due to overstressing ( One failed "' up" the other "down") and resultant airframe disintegration.. The detached nosewheel doors had been found by some Boy Scouts (IIRC) a long way away from the main accident site. triggering the BOI to investigate this avenue.
Elizabeth was building up her hours as a lady instructor in Luton Flying Club ,eventually getting in as (The first lady?) Comet Pilot Captain with Dan Air and later remarrying. . A striking looking lady with a personality to match!
Last edited by Haraka; 12th Sep 2022 at 17:23.