Wg Cdr Spry#5 Air Clues Article, RHAG engagements
I read Sqn. Ldr. Taits excellent and honest article in Air Clues, on his RHAG engagement gone wrong. One of the things he relates to is that the hook shoe sits about 3' below the main wheels on approach. That then introduces another complication, as indicated by the adviceto touch down a little further down the runway than normal. The complication, if fitted, is, of course, the approach end BARRIER.
One day in the late eighties I was the duty runway controller (RWC} at Bruggen, when a Tornado declared (If I remember rightly) a no nose wheel low light, necessitating an approach end RHAG engagement
Once the approach end RHAG was readied and the fire crews vacated the runway, the crew started their approach. I confirmed to the tower when the a/c called downwind that the hook was down. All looked good until, on late finals, I realised that the a/c was perfectly positioned for a landing on the numbers, which it did.
And took the top cable of the lowered approach end barrier.
Pretty spectacular stuff then ensued, with the barrier stanchions and various heavy mechanical bits ripped apart and dragged out of the ground, flying everywhere, including a large chunk of the braking system fom my side of the runway, which had been accelerated to a speed rivalling that of the landing Tonka and arrived in a fashion somewhat similar to that of a mortar round, coming to a rapid stop less than 5' away from where I was sitting in the runway caravan. Had circumstances been even the slightest bit different, I would have been the first RWC fatality for many a decade.
The pilot did comment on the R/T that he had felt a slight retardation immediately on touchdown but that it had disappeared quite quickly. The a/c engaged the RHAG normally and stopped as advertised. The airfield, unsurprisingly, was declared Black and Laarbruch got a few unexpected visitors for a night stop.
After answering the towers question on the Hadley box as to the state of my health, I sat and ruminated, with the aid of a packet of No. 6 (cigarettes to the youngsters) as to my good fortune. The Staish checked on me in the caravan and, as is required, the pilot later,not only bought me the usual crate of beer, but also included a freshly purchased triple pack of underpants.