Maldrop
Here are a couple of pics taken not long after XV206 landed after its mid-air in June 1985 taken by me. The No. 1 engine was not shut down, its fuel supply was compromised by the damage to the tank that supplied it and it auto-feathered
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The port aileron was missing completely along with about 12 feet of wing! The ac had taken off from Stanley and had MPA not been open as a diversion the ac would probably not have landed safely as Stanley's runway was made of well-worn and slippery AM2 matting, only 6,000 ft long and about 85 feet wide.....
Sadly the 4 RN Sea King crew were all killed but it could have been worse. The chances of this happening in all that open sky around the Falklands was miniscule where the visibility was often unlimited but on this occasion the holes in the cheese tragically all lined-up.....
A sad day.
MB
