Myth of the "Lucky Shot'
I have received information that dispels the myth that XV179 was brought down by a lucky shot. Back in 2004 another RAF Hercules was hit by small arms fire. The aircraft was taking off from a coalition base and luckily had just been fully re-fuelled with cold fuel. This prevented a significant vapour build up and probably saved the lives of the crew. This incident was a gigantic heads up about what might happen if a round penetrated a half empty fuel tank with a fuel/air vapour mix. Why was foam not fitted as an immediate result of this extremely serious incident? Why are we waiting 14 months after the tragedy to find out what the Chiefs of Staff are going to do to head off another tragedy? Please note that no change of tactics would have saved this crew. It was not operating low level at the time. The Hercules fleet (J,K), has to have foam. It must be done as a matter of urgency.
Please note I have no reason to believe that any aspect of this information is untrue.
Last edited by nigegilb; 18th Mar 2006 at 11:38.