More on Lightning losses
A bit more gen on the three Lightning F.6's lost by 74 Sqdn. in Singapore (Tengah), as I was on 74 at the time.......
One ploughed into the Johore Straits whilst doing a PI, pilot killed. The only bits ever recovered were the over-wing tanks floating in the sea. We "fairies" (Avionics) always reckoned it could have been an autopilot fault.
One was ejected from. This was east of Singapore after the u/c failed to come down, pilot OK--recovered by 103 Sqdn. helicopter from Changi.
The last one--and the worst sight I've ever seen in my life--was an F6 which got the fuel management wrong and took off from Tengah with the c of g too far back. It looked at first as though he was trying a rotation take off, so we all stopped to look. He swung over backwards at a sickening rate, was forced into a loop at about 300 ft., and ploughed straight into the kampong on the other side of the road. Ejection was initiated (we all saw the canopy come off), but the seat went straight into a tree......
As I'm sure everyone knows, Lightnings were absolute pigs to maintain, and the wonder was that they didn't just explode when the power went on, what with all the fuel leaking everywhere and the AVPIN.
The units also seemed to be flight, squadron and engineer- commanded by officers who spent most of their time managing their careers upwards, rather than displaying real leadership for the "blokes". Perhaps this was a sign of the times (my period on Lightnings was 68-71), but they seemed to be totally concentrated on doing their tour, getting in the AOC's good books then flitting away onwards and upwards.
We groundcrew always thought that the poor maintenance performance of the aircraft had a positive correlation to the leadership and management capabilities of the senior squadron officers. This famously (or rather, not famously, as it was covered up) showed itself in the Great 111 Squadron Groundcrew Mutiny of 1968.......but that's another story!