A sad day for 18 Sqn. Phil was my neighbour in the Mess and Jim was one of those positively infectious characters. Not long before, he had waltzed into the bar having just walked away from a pretty nasty wire strike near Paderborn; "That's my one brush with death."
The memories fade but I recollect that the flying display crew (ZA 672 was for static) witnessed the whole event from their dispersal. There was some fantastic leadership from the aircraft commander, corralling all 18 Sqn personnel and bring them back home that same evening.
Looking back, the accident was undoubtedly avoidable and continues to provide an excellent lesson in Swiss Cheese.
http://www.ukserials.com/pdflosses/m...0506_za672.pdf