Final Closure
Thankyou to all that have replied. I finally got confirmation of what actually happened today after contacting the MOD Air Historical Branch. I understand from scouring the internet that there is still an interest in this crash. I know there are lots of accounts, not all completely factual. Here is an extract of the report.............
R/T procedures were normal and the captain, who had been given choice of take-off direction, taxied to the marshalling point for Runway 11. Although he had been cleared as No. 1 for take-off he elected to let a Meteor take-off first on Runway 29, after which he lined up on Runway 11 and started his take-off run. The latter appeared normal until the aircraft had run some 5,500 – 6,500 feet when the air traffic controller and the deputy SATCO thought that the nose should have been raised and because of this, the aircraft’s progress was watched closely. With about 1,200 feet of the runway left, the starboard wheel passed on to the runway shoulder but after travelling 200 feet in this position, it looked as if the aircraft would become airborne as the nose wheel was not in contact with the ground and the main undercarriage bogies were in the ‘free in air position’ trailing the ground. However, with only 650 feet of the runway left, the port wheel also passed on to the runway shoulder and when almost opposite the runway controllers’ caravan the tail parachute came out, did not properly deploy and left the aircraft immediately. The aircraft then ran for 450 feet with all wheels making contact with the ground but all wheel marks ceased just before the aircraft crossed the taxiway adjacent to the end of Runway 11. Victor XA929 was clear of the ground for a distance of 100 feet before both main landing gears touched on the far side of the taxiway. From this point it careered through the overshoot area brushing a barbed wire fence and undergrowth with, at times, all wheels clear of the ground until finally it struck the ground in a nose-down attitude with the starboard wing slightly down, some 1800 feet beyond the end of the runway. The aircraft broke up rapidly starting with the undercarriage, front radome, main flap and cockpit. Break up of the fuselage continued and finally the separated main planes, engine and tail unit came to rest some 1600 feet from the first impact, 3,400 feet beyond the end of Runway 11. Shortly after the first impact fire broke out which rapidly spread from the wreckage trail to the surrounding scrub and trees. No further R/T calls were made after take-off clearance had been obtained.
Crew were:
Flt Lt G Goatham. 27. Captain/Pilot
Flt Lt D Brown. 28. Co-pilot
Flt Lt J Gray. 36. Navigator
Fg Off A Mitchell. 21. Co-Navigator
Fg Off A Pace. 24. Flight Engineer
Master Tech D Smith. 40. Crew Chief
Their names are forever imortalised in 3 locations. Dhekalia Military Cemetary -Cyprus (where they are buried), RAF Cottesmore station church and The National Memorial Arboretum - Staffordshire.
"Lest we Forget"