WRT the St Mawgan incident
We had a similar incident in a MR1 in Malta in the 70's. A flare failed to release, and then fell of whilst the bomb bay doors were closing. The doors were opened again sharpish, and the flare stayed where it was - floating in the slipstream!! Tried all sorts of manoeuvres, and the b*gger just wouldn't drop away ... 'twas a nervous return to Luqa, and we shut down on the runway and ran away. The armourer crawled in via the clamshell doors at the rear of the bay whilst we stood at a respectable distance and applauded....