Hi Bob,
Very interesting thread about the problems associated with escape procedures for the rear crew members. Reminds me of an incident we had on 57 Sqn.
Detached to Butterworth,in Nov. 1960. We had an incident when XH651 suffered a nosewheel collapse during servicing.Reasons, or who was to blame escape me now.A repair party was flown out from the UK to effect the necessary repairs. The Sqn. returned in Dec. leaving the aircraft behind. My crew were tasked in Feb.1961 to bring it back.I will gloss over a bloody awful transit to Butterworth via a Brittania from Stansted!!. We did two airtests and a airborne swing,practice diversion to Changi and satisfied everything was operational left for Honington on the 26th Feb via Gan,Karachi,looked after by BOAC,but thats another story. everthing was ops. normal.28Feb left Karachi for Akrotiri.incidentially the longest leg,again all normal,taxied in,shut down and could not open the door! We were stuck in the aircraft for about an hour or more,during which time it was suggested using the emergency handle and decided it was the last alternative.We were not flying with a crew chief,so the ground crew were also somewhat mystified.I believe signals were exchanged with BC.Then we were informed we would be refuelled,re-vitualled via the pilots DV and continue to Honington! Has there ever been a rear crew mutiny? John Beech decided he was not going to accept this.God Bless Him.In this crew,as Ive mentioned elsewhere,an addenden was added to the Pre-Takeoff Checks,"Seat Pins Out. Padlocks IN.Keys Stowed at the Back"
Much discussion ensued, when as if by magic the door opened. To cut a long story short,it transpired that during rebuilding the nose,removing the radome and rebuilding the nosewheel,water entered the door during the heavy rains and when the trapped water froze at altitude,completely froze the door locking mechanism.The temperatures at Butterworth,Gan and Karachi were high enough to melt the ice during descent and taxying in.but not so at Akrotiri,after a longer flight.Apparently there were drain holes which had been blocked.After we were informed the mechanism was checked ,after the necessary repairs were carried out,another airtest to confirm and we finally returned to Honington on the 2nd.Mar.
With hindsight,had an emergency occurred,it would have been another unexplained mystery as to why the rear crew did not manage to leave the aircraft! I wont raise the old arguement re ejection for the master race versus get out best you can for the rest.Needless to add it was a subject of much discussion in the Crewroom.