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Rear seat only ejection, aircraft landed.

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Rear seat only ejection, aircraft landed.

Old 15th Oct 2019, 23:36
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Rear seat only ejection, aircraft landed.

I'm trying to find records of an incident in the early 80s it was probably 82 or 83, but could have been 81

I think it was a Hawk, possibly Red Arrows, en route to Lossiemouth or Kinloss

I think it was a bird strike or wire strike at low level.

I think the rear seat occupant ejected, but the pilot landed.

That's all I can remember, but I haven't been able to find a report of the incident.

Help please.
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Old 16th Oct 2019, 01:57
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Hi Kit344, I was Lossie air traffic when it happened and seem to remember it being a Buccaneer which came back sans nav. Pretty sure it was a fairly massive birdstrike after which the nav lost comms with the pilot and decided to leave the seemingly out of control jet much to the pilot's surprise.
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Old 16th Oct 2019, 07:51
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There was also an incident in a Bulldog where the aircraft could not be recovered from a spin during a dual sortie. The QFI ordered the student to bail out (JUMP, JUMP, JUMP) but the latter opened the (slide back) canopy in the normal way, rather than using the canopy jettison lever. He then jumped out. The aircraft then came out of the spin. The QFI flew it back and landed.
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Old 16th Oct 2019, 08:44
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XV863

The Buccaneer involved was XV863, it was late 83 or 84, I think 84. Nav ejected after a birdstrike which broke the canopy and the blast screen. It was on 16 at the time, I think, landed at Lossie.
I only remember because I replaced the blast screen and repaired the fuel tanks where the bits of canopy went through.
It, and me, ended up on the OCU, CC was its code in 85.
Hope that helps.
Cheers.
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Old 16th Oct 2019, 09:07
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In India on Shiksha in 1963 a Javelin overpitched and went into a spin. The navigator ejected, the recoil from the seat pushed the nose down which caused the aircraft to auto-recover and be flown back to the airfield.
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Old 16th Oct 2019, 12:47
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Didn't an Arrows (Gnat) back seater eject after a wirestrike during a practice in Scotland some time ago?

cheers,
mcdhu
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Old 17th Oct 2019, 03:38
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Some pilots ejected and the aircraft landed them selves.


RAAF Mirage in Darwin. Compressor stall and loss of thrust in circuit, Ejection 1,000 feet 200 knots. Aircraft even remembered to pull the drag chute. Now in museum with remarkable few dents, which I suspect were caused by the recovery operations.


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Old 17th Oct 2019, 08:26
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I remember reading in 'RAF Flying Review' about a Hunter (single seat) belonging to the RNAF; the pilot ejected (engine failure I think) and the aircraft, trimmed for straight and level; actually landed on its home airfield.
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Old 17th Oct 2019, 08:53
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I remember reading in 'RAF Flying Review'...
Dating yourself there, old chap!
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Old 17th Oct 2019, 11:13
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I knew a Belgium AF Starfighter pilot who ejected on short finals due to a fire warning and saw his aircraft land on the runway and stop in the barrier. No damage.

Also saw the F4 nav eject in 1986 at a Bournemouth airshow when the left tyre burst on take off. The aircraft got airborne from the grass and landed safely at Boscombe Down. I think a lot of the crowd thought it was part of the show.
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Old 17th Oct 2019, 11:57
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Originally Posted by India Four Two
Dating yourself there, old chap!
Obviously you remember it too.
Never the same when it became 'Flying Review International'.
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Old 17th Oct 2019, 13:52
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There was some naval jet fighter, sans pilot, that was left staring at the approach to Gan's runway when the fuel calculations went wrong.
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Old 17th Oct 2019, 16:35
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My mother, married to a Lancaster pilot, told anyone who cared to listen that she was told by him that a battle-damaged US 4-engine bomber flew by itself all the way across England during WWII, to crash from fuel starvation either in Wales or the in the Irish sea, after its crew had decided to abandon ship over Norfolk.

I never found out if it was true. But I bet someone can tell us.
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Old 17th Oct 2019, 20:17
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Originally Posted by mcdhu
Didn't an Arrows (Gnat) back seater eject after a wirestrike during a practice in Scotland some time ago?

cheers,
mcdhu
I think this may be the one that I am thinking of, but it was 81 or later, so Red Arrows would have been operating Hawk, not Gnat.

I think it was in the vicinity of Loch Ness, during a transit to Lossiemouth or Kinloss, during the airshow season.

I was at Lossiemouth from January 81 to January 84


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Old 17th Oct 2019, 20:58
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The Red Arrows incident was a Hawk heading northerly up the Great Glen. It was a wire strike at the southern end of Loch Ness and I think the aircraft may have diverted into Inverness. The pilot was a friend and later a squadron colleague of mine.

The Buccaneer at Lossie was a Laarbruch aircraft operating against Garvie Island. It was a high speed (500+ kts) birdstrike which shattered the canopy. The nav thought that the pilot had been incapacitated as his head appeared lowered, there was too much noise for voice comms and the aircraft started to descend so he ejected. I watched it land at Lossiemouth! Also, the same pilot had another interesting incident when he was on the OCU at Honington. At the start of the take-off roll the aircraft did a very sharp turn (nosewheel steering problem) and departed off the edge of the runway with full power pointing towards the HASs so the nav ejected. One pilot, two navs jumped out; now that must be a record!
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Old 18th Oct 2019, 21:07
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Originally Posted by LOMCEVAK
The Red Arrows incident was a Hawk heading northerly up the Great Glen. It was a wire strike at the southern end of Loch Ness and I think the aircraft may have diverted into Inverness. The pilot was a friend and later a squadron colleague of mine.

The Buccaneer at Lossie was a Laarbruch aircraft operating against Garvie Island. It was a high speed (500+ kts) birdstrike which shattered the canopy. The nav thought that the pilot had been incapacitated as his head appeared lowered, there was too much noise for voice comms and the aircraft started to descend so he ejected. I watched it land at Lossiemouth! Also, the same pilot had another interesting incident when he was on the OCU at Honington. At the start of the take-off roll the aircraft did a very sharp turn (nosewheel steering problem) and departed off the edge of the runway with full power pointing towards the HASs so the nav ejected. One pilot, two navs jumped out; now that must be a record!
Thanks very much, that fits with my memory of the incident.

Please could you try to point me towards the accident report, the aircraft registration, or the date ?

I searched fairly thoroughly before I posted this thread a few days ago.
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Old 19th Oct 2019, 08:08
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Originally Posted by kit344
Thanks very much, that fits with my memory of the incident.

Please could you try to point me towards the accident report, the aircraft registration, or the date ?

I searched fairly thoroughly before I posted this thread a few days ago.
I think the aircraft serial is stated in a reply early on up-thread,
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Old 20th Oct 2019, 10:00
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Originally Posted by chevvron
I remember reading in 'RAF Flying Review' about a Hunter (single seat) belonging to the RNAF; the pilot ejected (engine failure I think) and the aircraft, trimmed for straight and level; actually landed on its home airfield.
I don't know if it happened i the RNAF, but it did in the RDAF.

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Old 20th Oct 2019, 10:57
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Originally Posted by sablatnic
I don't know if it happened i the RNAF, but it did in the RDAF.
Yes I could be wrong; it was over 50 years ago I read it! (that's my excuse)
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Old 20th Oct 2019, 19:38
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'One pilot, two navs jumped out; now that must be a record!'

He affectionately acquired the nickname 'Skids' thereafter!
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