JW411 (#10832),
What a horrible story - and what a good job they did in the circumstances ! (why didn't that doc get an AFC - do you have to be aircrew ?) Failing that, they should've made it a G.C. Vaguely recalls that US story of a DC-10 where the tail turbine wheel broke off and severed all the tail control connections. He flew it to Salt Lake City (?) by juggling the two good engines and crash-landed it on the runway, many killed but a fair number survived (inc the pilots). At the next harvest some farmer found the turbine wheel in his corn.
FED (#834),
A JP at Leeming lined up for t/o and opened up. Viper turbine stripped, all the shrapnel sprayed out evenly and pretty well bisected the JP. No casualty.
One day a Percival Pembroke took off from Catterick (with CinC Maintenace (?) Command on board), climbing S. (in our direction). Loud Bang, a whole pot blew off and went through the cabin wall, across the cabin and out the far side. Did not hit anybody. They feathered and went straight on to land on Leeming's 16.
Chugalug (#10837),
Thanks for the link - fine pic of the Griffon Spit. As for JPs, spent five years looking at them out of the tower window, but never even bothered to look into the cockpit. I'd had my flying years, and they were good years, but now they were over.
Geri (#10838), and others,
Yes, you had to be careful on take-off with any Spit, and hold the nose up a bit to keep the prop tips off the ground. In consequence it floated off by itself like a TM.
My thanks to all who've confirmed that remoulds were in fact used.
Cheers all, Danny.