Question: Pilots in Crashing Aircraft Avoiding People on the Ground

[Hipper]

This may be a subject that is a bit distasteful and if the mods think it unacceptable they are welcome to delete it with my apologies.

A current thread marks a flypast for a crashed USAAF aircraft in 1944:

http://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/616845-sheffield-memorial-flypast-ideas.html

I'm all for marking the efforts of our wartime ancestors, particularly in the air forces - my father was one of them.

However, I'm always a bit dubious about claims that pilots took steps to avoid buildings, kids in parks etc., so making them even more heroic, if that is possible. Indeed the whole premise of this Sheffield flypast seems to be based on this concept.

A similar thought was made by an eye witness in my father's plane crash - a Valiant - that the pilot tried to avoid him whilst he was working in a field. From what I can gather you can't see much out of the Valiant cockpit and further, the pilot will have been doing his best in trying to keep the plane in the air, dealing with all the problems of a failing machine.

My question is therefore, being realistic as opposed to romantic, are these scenarios likely? Or is it just that individuals like to embellish these incidents because of all the emotions involved?

[rolling20]

There was a crash of a civilian aircraft close to my home airport a few years ago. I won't go into details. Eye witnesses described the pilot as a hero for missing a school and this was widely quoted in the local press. The view of others with flying experience and the subsequent investigation was that the aircraft had entered a spin and the pilot had no height or indeed training from which to initiate a recovery. RIP.

[NutLoose]

Michael Sargeant comes to mind who had an emergency in a Spit at a show and found the emergency landing runway was full of spectators, he died trying to avoid them. Such a sad waste of life of a fine man let down by the organisers of the show.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-462038/How-Spitfire-hero-sacrificed-save-airshow-crowds.html

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/54230438e5274a1314000be3/Vickers-Supermarine_Spitfire_PR_XI__G-PRXI_05-03.pdf

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=89964

[57mm]

Hipper, you're right, this is a distasteful subject. Request removal by the Mods.

[NutLoose]

Why? yes it may been seen by you as distasteful, but pilots avoiding people on the ground and crashing does not always result in fatalities, after all, everyone learns from it being discussed and hopefully prevents it from happening again.

[melmothtw]

I'm always a bit dubious about claims that pilots took steps to avoid buildings, kids in parks etc., so making them even more heroic,

I agree, generally, but hearing the details of this particular story whereby the pilot was seen waving to the kids to try and get them to clear the landing site makes me believe that in this case he really did do all he could to avoid them.

[sharpend]

However, I'm always a bit dubious about claims that pilots took steps to avoid buildings, kids in parks etc., so making them even more heroic, if that is possible. Indeed the whole premise of this Sheffield flypast seems to be based on this concept.

My question is therefore, being realistic as opposed to romantic, are these scenarios likely? Or is it just that individuals like to embellish these incidents because of all the emotions involved?

Well I think I am qualified to reply as I was that pilot who avoided the old folks home whilst wrestling with the controls of a stricken jet. At least that is what was said. My citation in The London Gazette states: 'he resolved to delay such action (ejection) until clear of the ...suburbs' . Personally. I cannot really recall what was going thro my mind other than I had to get on the ground before I bled to death. Like most in this drastic situation one is dealing frantically with the emergency and not thinking too much about the old peoples home, even if you know that one was close. Actually, often after ejection, the aeroplane changes course set by the pilot and crashed where he least expected it to

[NutLoose]

Was there a school within 50 miles? if not it's hardly worth a mention in the press.

Actually, often after ejection, the aeroplane changes course set by the pilot and crashed where he least expected it to



The one on Cornwall proved that

http://www.tintagelweb.co.uk/tintagel%20plane%20crash.htm

[Old-Duffer]

I have written a series of books dealing with RAF losses (6600 fatal casualties and 9000 aircraft) since VE-Day. In studying reports there are frequent references to: 'the pilot was seen struggling with the controls' or 'the pilot sacrificed himself to avoid a school/hospital etc'. It is usually impossible to have any idea of what is going on in the aircraft and experience suggests that witness testimony is often 'fanciful' to say the least. That said, there can be no doubt that given time, opportunity and visibility a pilot would attempt to find the best place to put an aircraft down or to steer it to a safe heading (say towards the sea) before bailing out/ejecting. There are also known cases where a pilot has prejudiced his survival by trying to ensure his crew have cleared the aircraft before he leaves.

I know of one case of a pilot who had always said he would never leave until his crew were clear but come the great moment, he was the only one to attempt an escape.

This is an unhappy Thread but military flying has many risks attached to it and there is no point in trying to avoid considering it.

Old Duffer

[Tankertrashnav]

I think the usual term is "grappling with the controls" O-D. Never quite sure what that means. Any pilots on here ever grappled with the controls? Is it a technique taught at FTS? ;)

[ShyTorque]

In days gone by many pilots watched wrestling on a Saturday afternoon.

Hence Ken Walton's famous expression: "Greetings, Grapple Fans!"

[NutLoose]

Was it a budgie smuggler fetish?

[Kiltrash]

From the OP
However, I'm always a bit dubious about claims that pilots took steps to avoid buildings, kids in parks etc., so making them even more heroic, if that is possible.

Although not in the same vein as Sheffield I am drawn to BA 38 where Captain Birkill reduced the flaps from 30 to 25 to get more glide rather than dump it on the A30
As a dog walker I have twice had helicopters circle lower and lower over me have cleared out the way and it landed in the park . Both times the HEMS London one

[RetiredBA/BY]

You just dont know exactly where it will hit the ground.
I ejected over the wilds of the Cheviots but the jet still managed to find the farmyard of the only farm for miles around.

By the grace of god no one hurt, as kids had been playing in the farmyard minutes before.

[Two's in]

Purely based on Simulator and practice emergency drill experience, when something goes wrong, you are suddenly very busy and very focused on establishing some salient facts:

1. Do you still have a modicum of flight control?
2. Do you have power or are you now a glider?
3. Are you on fire?
4. How likely is it that the answers to 1 through 3 will suddenly change to a less popular option?

Not ever having flown anything with Mr Martin and Mr Baker's option for express transport to the Board of Inquiry, getting on the ground usually dictates looking for a clear area. Depending on your height and speed, that normally means pointing towards what you perceive as a greenish (or blueish, if near a lake/coast) area rather than a greyish area, hopefully grass green, not tree green. As you get closer and lower, and assuming the answer to question 1 is still yes, you might begin to see wires, trees and other hazards, but if the answer to question 2 was no and question 3 was yes, you are probably committed to the spot anyway. Pilots have a healthy sense of self-preservation, so putting it down on a bowling green next to the orphanage might make for good Daily Fail headlines, but the orphans were probably not in the pilot's original landing assessment.

"Do I avoid the buildings if I can?" is a relatively straight forward question to answer. There are undoubtedly cases of stunning heroics and self sacrifice, but if you look at a set of Flight Reference Cards, under "Immediate Actions following Catastrophic failure" it does not (yet) say "Locate nearest Orphanage, Nunnery or Nuclear Processing Facility and land nearby, if possible set transponder code to Alert media, ensure flying suit badges are current".

[fantom]

I have written a series of books dealing with RAF losses (6600 fatal casualties and 9000 aircraft) since VE-Day. In studying reports there are frequent references to: 'the pilot was seen struggling with the controls' or 'the pilot sacrificed himself to avoid a school/hospital etc'. It is usually impossible to have any idea of what is going on in the aircraft and experience suggests that witness testimony is often 'fanciful' to say the least. That said, there can be no doubt that given time, opportunity and visibility a pilot would attempt to find the best place to put an aircraft down or to steer it to a safe heading (say towards the sea) before bailing out/ejecting. There are also known cases where a pilot has prejudiced his survival by trying to ensure his crew have cleared the aircraft before he leaves.

I know of one case of a pilot who had always said he would never leave until his crew were clear but come the great moment, he was the only one to attempt an escape.

This is an unhappy Thread but military flying has many risks attached to it and there is no point in trying to avoid considering it.

Old Duffer

OD has it.

[Old-Duffer]

I remember a comment made when I worked in Directorate of Flight Safety, when t'was located in Tavistock Square. "The pilot is usually: except in the PR9, the first to arrive at the scene of the accident".

Although no laughing matter, I recall the RAF Form 1180 (summary accident report), which said something like: ' the pilot appears to have decided to follow the railway line, which would have taken him towards his base and this he did at low level. Unfortunately, he overlooked the fact that the line ran through a tunnel.................' need I say more?

O-D

[Hydromet]

I witnessed a forced landing where a private pilot experienced an engine failure over a heavily populated area. Perhaps against the odds, he found enough space to land in a park, avoiding damage to himself & passenger (his wife), the aircraft or anyone on the ground. Did he grapple with the controls? Don't think so, according to quotes, he went through the engine failure drills and they worked.

[Peter G-W]

“Maverick is in a flat spin: he’s heading out to sea.”

[Krautwald]

I recall a quote from Chuck Yeager that most of these stories where fairytales because when SHTF „you don’t even get to look out the window“.

[dead_pan]

Interesting thread.

The following crew appear to have the wherewithal to point their stricken aircraft at a patch of green before ejecting, although it's not clear from the garbled audio if they actually discussed this beforehand.

​https://youtu.be/zN_Zl64OQEw​​​​​​

Amusing that the controller is a little late requesting the crew to confirm their intentions...

[The B Word]

Well I think I am qualified to reply as I was that pilot who avoided the old folks home whilst wrestling with the controls of a stricken jet. At least that is what was said. My citation in The London Gazette states: 'he resolved to delay such action (ejection) until clear of the ...suburbs' . Personally. I cannot really recall what was going thro my mind other than I had to get on the ground before I bled to death. Like most in this drastic situation one is dealing frantically with the emergency and not thinking too much about the old peoples home, even if you know that one was close. Actually, often after ejection, the aeroplane changes course set by the pilot and crashed where he least expected it to

But your press statement all those years ago stated you couldn’t see a thing for a while, so how did you see the “old folks home” to avoid it?

'All I was aware of was a great thump in the face, a tremendous noise and I was completely blind,' Sharp said Wednesday in the first public statement on the incident that occurred two weeks ago in the skies over southern England.

'I wanted to open my eyes but I couldn't open the left one at all. My right eye was full of blood.

'I couldn't speak to the navigator at first, but I was able to see the instruments, a bit blurred,' said the 37-year-old pilot, who flies from the Royal Air Force Chivenor base in Devon.

With the inch-thick windshield shattered 'my cockpit was the noisiest place in the world,' he said. 'It was three times the force of a hurricane, we were doing 500 mph.'

Because of the noise, Sharp said he was unable to communicate with ground control but eventually was able to see the ground and make a landing.

'We survived thanks to instinct, adrenalin, experience and a hell of a lot of luck,' he said.


Or was it Lester, your Nav, that called it out so you could avoid it?

[Tashengurt]

dead_pan,
That clips actually from a Hawk in Canada I believe.
There's clips on YouTube showing their very undramatic recovery.

[dead_pan]

Tash - funny I did wonder about the clipped English male voice used in one of the cockpit warnings. The F-16 gal sounds much sexier. Can't trust anything you see on the Internet....

[Lonewolf_50]

To answer the OP:
In a single engine aircraft where one has lost the engine, rather than in an out of control flight situation, or when one is on fire, you will find in some training manuals a step in your emergecy procedure to 'head toward an unpopulated area' - I taught Navy flight students in the T-34C in the 80's and 00's. That specific consideration was part of the training. (Yes, it was near the end of the procedure)
It was also a subject of ready room discussions in other single engine aircraft and helicopters that I flew.
How well one is able to put that thought into action on a given day when things go pear shaped will depend heavily on the situation.

In a nutshell:
it is part of the training to try and point away from where people are, but one is not always able to control that element depending on the nature of the problem one is trying to deal with (as noted by a few of the old hands who have already posted).

[Mogwi]

I certainly know of one fine Naval aviator who left it very late to use the alternate let-down facility in a Hunter. When I remonstrated with him in hospital, he stated that when the donk ran down halfway around finals, he rolled wings level and found he was pointing at the married patch and infants school - so he turned further left and was about to bang out when he realised that the ****ester by-pass was jammed with summer traffic. So he squeaked it over the road and jumped, hitting the ground with a partially inflated 'chute, whilst the jet bounced across the bows of a bus full of pongoes on the Som***** road and buried itself in a midden.

Some guys actually do it!!

Mog

[sharpend]

But your press statement all those years ago stated you couldn’t see a thing for a while, so how did you see the “old folks home” to avoid it?

Or was it Lester, your Nav, that called it out so you could avoid it?


Absolutely correct. I was totally blind for some time and then managed to get a little blurred vision in my right eye. However, if you read my comment again you will note that I had absolutely no idea of what was around me and totally no interest other than to put the jet on the ground before I ran out of blood. Farmhouses, old folks homes or schools were furthest from my mind. Quote: 'Personally. I cannot really recall what was going thro my mind other than I had to get on the ground before I bled to death. Like most in this drastic situation one is dealing frantically with the emergency and not thinking too much about the old peoples home, even if you know that one was close'. So basically, in answer to the original question, a pilot invariable (but perhaps not always) looks after himself, his crew and the aeroplane and trusts that those on the ground are not involved.

[tdracer]

It's worth noting that, if ejecting or bailing out is not an option, putting the aircraft down where it'll minimize casualties on the ground is usually consistent with putting it down where it'll minimize casualties in the aircraft - it's often not an either/or. Sully comes to mind...

[CONSO]

SIDENOTE from memory

In 1952-53 an F-100 was northjound from castle airbase to sacramento area ( california ) flying along the foothills of the western slope of the Sierras. Altitude probably 10000 to 20000 feet. Controls locked up, plane was pointed north to a remotely populated area. Pilot shut engine - ejected near- above Sonora. Pilot landed near Keystone ( a few miles west of Sonora )
Plan turned west, glided roughly along Stanislaus river and sort of circled Oakdale. came down in a 15 to 20 acre field on west side of town pointed east - but engine continued into housing area, bounced into a garage ! No one hurt !
But part of landing gear hit a house in which a just retired postman was in the kitchen- hit him such that he later died. ! The only severe injury result.

Anyone care to figure the odds. ?

[NutLoose]

Remember the wayward Mig 23 that the pilot departed from in Poland that made it to Belgium before tragically killing an 18 year old at home on the farm.

https://theaviationist.com/2012/10/03/mig23-belgium/

[NutLoose]

remember this one?

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/history/plane-flew-pilot-ejected-f-106a-flew-miles-landing-gently-field.html

[tdracer]

NutLoose, I don't remember any details - such as where or when or why they bailed, but supposedly there was a similar event with a DC-3/C-47 - the crew bailed out but the aircraft continued on until it soft landed unharmed many miles away.

[NutLoose]

There was an article in flypast ages ago about Hamilcar? gliders and they were sending them off training so they were towed up by a tug, released and landed back on the airfield, they were very busy and one they hooked up spiralled down and landed on, when no crew were seen to get out some bods were dispatched to see if they were ok...... it was empty, in the rush to get them off they had hooked up an empty glider that did the sortie on its own.

[NutLoose]

http://www.91stbombgroup.com/91st_tales/58_the_ghost_ship.pdf

[Buster Hyman]

I seem to recall that the KLM pilot rotated early at Tenerife in an attempt to 'jump' over the PA 747 but didn't have the speed to climb. If that was the case, then would that constitute a conscious avoidance???

[Jetset 88]

I totally agree. If a B17 were about to crash the crew certainly wouldn’t be aware of people in their way until it was within a few hundred metres of them at best. Have any of the readers noticed people near the approach when they have been landing without a major emergency in progress? Pilot’s about to crash avoiding schools is another fact which I have always thought suspect too.
Anyway good luck to the old gentleman who has kept the crew’s memory alive for all these years. Their contribution to the conflict should never be forgotten.

[NutLoose]

Wasn't there a Bucc up in Scotland overran the runway, when he saw spotters on the fence line he whipped the gear up to stop it.

[Geriaviator]

Even the best pilot cannot control a falling brick ... In 1972 my friend Giles was testing a Bucc following overhaul at RNAY Sydenham when it flamed out on downwind leg. Ricky the nav banged-out and landed on a busy Belfast thoroughfare in front of a Morris Minor whose elderly driver was taken to hospital with shock. Giles stayed in the aircraft, aiming for Orangefield Park about a mile further on but ejected when the Bucc's nose pitched upwards and all control was lost. His chute deployed just in time to land him on a sloping roof, whence he slid off to land on his elbow three stories below. A couple of seconds later the Bucc dropped vertically to demolish the front wall of an office block 200 yards further on, its fuselage replacing the wall just eight feet in front of the shocked owner's desk. Fortunately there was no fire because there was no fuel.
Today the Bucc's refuelling probe has place of honour in the office reception area, but Giles' injury ended his flying career.

However, I saw the 'hero pilot' line deployed in 1954 when a Meteor T7 canopy opened on finals for Leuchars and the aircraft spun vertically into a field just across the road from Leuchars mainline station, where the St Andrews train was about to depart. The Daily Mail etc made much of the pilot's bravery in avoiding the station but of course the poor chap had no chance of recovery.

[msbbarratt]

I remember this one going overhead, sounded awful having ingested a lot of birds. I'll never forget the sound. The aircraft flew over a housing estate, not much choice on that so far as I recall, the pilot aimed for a field beyond, the crew ejected at an unhealthily low altitude. The aircraft came down in the field, having missed all the houses, skided across a busy road missing everything and came to rest in another field. Crewmen started directing traffic around the debris.

I can tell you the feelings in the town were universally positive about RAF pilot's abilities when things go wrong and options get thin. Not many yards either way could have wiped out quite a few homes, at tea time.

[Vendee]

Wasn't there a Bucc up in Scotland overran the runway, when he saw spotters on the fence line he whipped the gear up to stop it.
I've not worked on Buccs but wouldn't the WoW switch prevent retraction on the ground?

[sharpend]

I've not worked on Buccs but wouldn't the WoW switch prevent retraction on the ground?

Most military jets I have flown have a facility where if you twist the up button, then press it in, the gear will retract on the ground.

[Tashengurt]

Most military jets I have flown have a facility where if you twist the up button, then press it in, the gear will retract on the ground.

Wouldn't the weight on the wheels physically stop them though?

[BEagle]

IIRC, the Bucc also had a button which could be pressed in for take-off, which would retract the landing gear as soon as weight came off the circuit protection relays?

Intended for use when being fired off the end of one of HM's grey war canoes.

[dead_pan]

msbbarratt - not sure which bit of Abingdon the Tornado would have flown over - I understood it flew in pretty much a straight line from the runway to the outskirts of Drayton where it crashed.

Incidentally Drayton must hold some sort of record for the number of mil aircraft which have crashed on or v near it: a Beverley, a Puma, the aforementioned Tornado, and a Tutor

[sharpend]

Wouldn't the weight on the wheels physically stop them though?

In theory and in practice; yes. But if the aircraft is still moving (the only time perhaps that you would want to raise the gear), the movement invariably causes the undercarriage to collapse.

[msbbarratt]

msbbarratt - not sure which bit of Abingdon the Tornado would have flown over - I understood it flew in pretty much a straight line from the runway to the outskirts of Drayton where it crashed.

Incidentally Drayton must hold some sort of record for the number of mil aircraft which have crashed on or v near it: a Beverley, a Puma, the aforementioned Tornado, and a Tutor


I recall it being pretty close to Masefield Crescent, going across the B4017 not very far south of the housing round there. At least, had they ejected earlier there'd been a good chance that that's where the aircraft may have ended up.

I'd always understood that they'd taken off, run into birds, tried to do a circuit then opted for the field instead when it became clear they weren't going to get back to the aerodrome. I was in Marcham at the time, and it sounded (nb I didn't clap eyes on it) like it came more or less overhead. But it's a long time ago now, so I'm quite prepared to go along with a more reliable source of information such as yourself.

Pretty sure a Mossie had come down near Drayton too. Think I've got the loss log somewhere, will have to check.

[izod tester]

A Varsity crashed into the roof of a house in Gloucester in 1963 following an engine failure after a single engine overshoot at Staverton. The aircraft flew very low over the playing fields at Ribston Hall High School for girls before attempting to reach the playing fields at the Crypt School a few hundred yards further on. It is conjecture that the pilot's original intention was to crash land on the Ribston Hall playing fields, but at the last moment saw girls playing hockey. Unfortunately the pilots were both killed in the crash.

https://gloshistory.org.uk/reprints/gh200702.pdf

[rolling20]

As the thread has drifted slightly, as a 6th former I shall always remember the Nimrod crash at Kinloss in 1980. That description at the time of the pilots actions left a deep impression on me.

[Buster Hyman]

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2664843996878023

[alwayslookingup]

As the thread has drifted slightly, as a 6th former I shall always remember the Nimrod crash at Kinloss in 1980. That description at the time of the pilots actions left a deep impression on me.

Didn't this just come down in a straight line in Roseisle Forrest?

[Hipper]

Thanks to everyone for their contributions. I appreciate everyone posting openly on a troubling subject. I'm more enlightened as a result.

[Mechta]

The single greatest amount of wartime damage to Chichester occurred on 11th May 1944 when a B-24 Liberator crashed onto the city laundry. The pilot pointed it out to sea, however after he baled out it returned:
B-24 Liberator Crash - Chichester (http://www.dunkantix.com/secrets/printable/SUPPLEMENT6.pdf)

[ShyTorque]

As the thread has drifted slightly, as a 6th former I shall always remember the Nimrod crash at Kinloss in 1980. That description at the time of the pilots actions left a deep impression on me.

Steve Belcher, the co-pilot, was a friend of mine. We joined the RAF on the same day. He once told me of a premonition he had about that accident. RIP, Steve.

[BEagle]

The late RFK, that well-known northern Irish WIWOL, aimed his Lightning out to sea when he had to part company with it off Valley...

...after first dialling up Dublin ILS and aiming the autopilot towards it!

[Steepclimb]

The late RFK, that well-known northern Irish WIWOL, aimed his Lightning out to sea when he had to part company with it off Valley...

...after first dialling up Dublin ILS and aiming the autopilot towards it!
I remember that incident. I read at time the Lightning ditched just 30 miles short of Dublin. That's pretty close.

As for avoiding people on the ground. If the pilot is staying with the aeroplane he'll always want to land in the nice field next to the school rather than the school itself. So yes he avoided the school and anything else designed to make a bad day even worse.

[rolling20]

Steve Belcher, the co-pilot, was a friend of mine. We joined the RAF on the same day. He once told me of a premonition he had about that accident. RIP, Steve.

I never understood how the posthumous awards given to the pilots were not the same.

[rolling20]

I remember being told of a Harrier pilot who banged out on exercise in Norway and his fellow squadron members were surprised when he turned up on the ground, as the Harrier was still flying above them in circles. Of course, I could have been having my leg pulled.

[Odanrot]

The late RFK, that well-known northern Irish WIWOL, aimed his Lightning out to sea when he had to part company with it off Valley...

...after first dialling up Dublin ILS and aiming the autopilot towards it!

I was in the tower at Valley for this incident and in the bar with said pilot after he was plucked out of the Irish sea and I knew him well. This post is defamatory and a total load of bo££ocks.

[ExRAFRadar]

Maybe, just maybe, BEagle was indulging in a bit of banter.

[Fareastdriver]

This post is defamatory and a total load of bo££ocks.

Which post?

[Tankertrashnav]

I never understood how the posthumous awards given to the pilots were not the same.

To clarify, the captain, Flt Lt Noel Anthony RAAF was awarded a posthumous AFC, while the co-pilot, Fg Off Stephen Belcher received a posthumous QCVSA

Normally when things go well it's the captain who gets the gong, and the rest of the crew receive the lesser award, which I've always thought fair enough, as when it goes wrong it's the captain's neck on the block. In this case the same principle seems to have been applied, but as they were both killed (all others on board survived) I would have thought that it would have been a nice touch for both to have received the posthumous AFC. Not that it would make any difference to them, of course, but might have been nice for Steve Belcher's family.

[BEagle]

Well, RFK was my co-pilot for many years on the VC10K and also an FI colleague a little later. It's what he told me....

A bit too late to query though, poor old RFK popped his clogs a while ago now.

RIP, mate!

[langleybaston]

My son was at RAFC [in the road!] for the 9 ship today at 1515...... says there were lots of long lenses about. The weather was decidedly iffy, with patches of fairly low stratus associated with bursts of rain, and poorish vis to boot. What a pity it could not have been yesterday.

Well done Marham.

[Tengah Type]

Beagle

I was crewed with RFK in 1986 before I moved across to TTF in Jan 87. He certainly claimed, several times in my experience, to have aimed his Lightning at Dublin when he ejected. How much of this was real life, or banter, is impossible to know. Never trust a silver-tongued Irishman.

[Mogwi]

I remember being told of a Harrier pilot who banged out on exercise in Norway and his fellow squadron members were surprised when he turned up on the ground, as the Harrier was still flying above them in circles. Of course, I could have been having my leg pulled.

Quite true but it happened in Germany. Major bird strike at low level, engine surged and wouldn't relight. Ejection appears to have cleared surge and the jet flew around for 32 minutes avoiding F104 sent to shoot it down. Eventually did a passable landing in a field.

Much mirth!

[Fareastdriver]

In India in 1963 during exercise Shiksha a Javelin overcooked it and went into superstall and then an unrecoverable spin. The navigator ejected with the result that the recoil of the seat pushed the nose down and cleaned up the airflow.
The member of the two winged masterace then flew around his navigator waving to him on his parachute.

[rolling20]

Quite true but it happened in Germany. Major bird strike at low level, engine surged and wouldn't relight. Ejection appears to have cleared surge and the jet flew around for 32 minutes avoiding F104 sent to shoot it down. Eventually did a passable landing in a field.

Much mirth!


Thanks for clearing that up :) . I didn't doubt the person telling me, but for some reason Norway stuck in mind

[Tashengurt]

As a child, an aircraft taking part in the Kings cup air race crashed in the field I was watching from.
I can remember seeing the pilot clearly ( It was a Bolkow Monsun with a big canopy) but even from close range I'd be struggling to say if he was fighting for control, looking to land or desperately avoiding something. (Sadly he didn't manage the last, fatally striking power lines.)