Italian G91 lands at Akrotiri in 70s(?) on a Friday for weekend - a standard occurrence - crew enjoy weekend and stock up on duty free. Problem on take-off on Monday and aircraft ends up in bonds off end of runway.
Much telephoning in frantic Italian and next day a transport arrives, picks up crew and duty free and departs. OC Eng waits to hear from Italians about BOI and aircraft recovery.
After a week passes no one has called so Italians are contacted and asked what is happening about G91 tail number XXXX? Puzzled Italians say they investigate and call back saying there must be some mistake, that aircraft was written off charge 2 years ago.
Rumour was that rather than tow it to their fire dump said Italian base had kept it as a hack, fudged fuel burn on normal training flying to provide gas and held weekly lottery as to who got to use it.
Italians thereafter refused to discuss aircraft and it was subsequently taken to dump and broken up for scrap.
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Javelin Sqns in Malta used to fly to Cyprus for weekend Rangers. Aircraft was normally fitted with underwing tanks, but if winds were right down the Med (no head wind or a tail wind) they could make it home on internal fuel - just.
Cunning wheeze was each Sqns had a pair of pristine tanks adapted to carry Cyprus brandy to bring back in light of awful stuff in Malta. Aircraft would be filled with brandy in Cyprus and wait for suitable forecast before recovery.
Reputed story is Met man cocked up/ winds changed and crew realised 200nm from home they weren't going to make it. Declared emergency with control malfunction, flew on till fuel was nearly exhausted and then switched to wing tanks. Aircraft engines reputedly ran we'll enough to get them inside SAR range before the crew "lost control" and abandoned the aircraft over deep, deep water......