78 Sqn Chinook Crash (20 years ago)
Originally Posted by
OKOC
Hi Katie,
I was on 18 Sqn with Dave Browning and he was a terrific bloke, great fun and great company. I miss him and the whole crew that died that fateful day. I had just finished my tour in The Falklands, and had air-tested that very same Chinook about a week before the crash, it still makes me think that we are all here by the grace of God.
Regarding the cause, my dim memory seems to remember (and it was widely believed by all the operators (modern speak for pilots) that it was a DASH (Differential Air Speed Hold) runaway; a very insidious causal factor and widely practiced thereafter in the sim at Aberdeen. If the runaway was not caught almost immediately it was impossible to stop it as there physically wasn't enough "back stick authority". As far as I am aware, even though we knew that sometime during the sim sortie the instructor (Dave Ryall) would introduce this snag, No-one caught it in time-the result was obvious. Please forgive my aging memory if some of my words are not absolutely text book but they are true.
RIP old friends both from MPA and the Mull.
- Hello. I have just stumbled across this thread. I thought you might like to know that I visited David Browning’s grave today as a volunteer for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to carry out our regular check on the state of the headstone. If anyone is interested in paying a visit David is buried in the Great Cornard cemetery (what3words SPEEDING:UNDERTOOK:GREW for the gate, and he is beneath the 3rd cherry tree on the left of the central path) and his headstone is in fine condition. If I can work out how to post a picture I will do so. All best.