Tornado Crash in Sea Off St Andrews

[Mr Wippy]

Well done to the Squipper and Armourers, another TWO working as advertised.

[BEagle]

Two. Another two, actually.......

[Lynx206]

"A formal investigation will be launched to find out if the accident was caused by pilot error or any malfunction of the jet."

I have it on very good authority that it was the thronomister in the number 5 engine again.

[DEL Mode]

A good journo would have put a line in about the aircraft manoeuvring to avoid the shoal seconds before the crew ejected.

[BigginAgain]

Lynx206

You silly individual! That Ground Bombing version of the Trinadu in use by No 46 Sqn from RAF Locking (as this one was) only has 4 engines (one was removed when it was being prepped for Operation NIMWAGS).

But seriously, the ac was steered away from a party of sea-fishing school children at the last minute by the Air Engineering Operator.

BA

[BEagle]

I note that both the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry RNLI lifeboats were launched at 1745 last night - presumably in support of the rescue operation?

A reminder that the RNLI volunteer crews are funded almost entirely by voluntary donations and provide a 24-hour service around the coast of the UK and Republic of Ireland.

So take a moment or two away from PPRuNe-ing and check out http://www.rnli.org.uk/join2.asp . You can help these chaps/chapesses who fish your mates out of the oggin from as little as £2 per month.

[Jordan D]

Story updated (new BBC article):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4344460.stm

Correct issues of seats & dinghys ... and apparently the incident was informed via Mobile Phone.

Jordan

[N Joe]

JD

Thanks for the link to the news site. For those of us that are no longer in the F3 world and don't live up North, PPRuNe is always the best source of reliable news. Any more (open source) info gratefully received.

Hope the guys are OK - didn't like the sound of them being sent down to Nottingham.

N Joe

[Logistics Loader]

Glad both crew got out ok...

Good advert for the mobile phone though, my fone packed up when i dropped it in a puddle, do the F3 guys waterproof their kit before getting airborne...???
Just curious !!

[movadinkampa747]

I'll say it for you LL WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...................

Or were you serious?

[FJJP]

Similar thing happened when the Cottesmore OC Ops jumped out of a GR7 when the engine went bang. As his wingman orbitted the site [who happened to be the Staish!] he borrowed a phone from a passer-by and phoned his wife! She then rang Ops to confirm their Boss was on the ground awaiting the yellow budgie!

Incidentally, his ejection was featured in one of the Discovery Wings programmes on Sky - he was quite badly damaged punching through the canopy when the MDC failed to detonate...

Very glad the Tornado mates are safe and well. I toasted their health when the word came through that they were OK!

[Pontius Navigator]

I thought the cockpit detached from the air frame and landed on its own, the side consol and dashboard folding back to allow a gentle inflation of the onboard airbags to cushion the pilot and a rubber ring to cushion the nav whose bulk would not allow side airbags.

Or is that mod still classified?


Ooops

[Crashed&Burned]

Does it normally take 45 minutes to find and pick up a crew 10 miles from takeoff..? Seems a long time (especially to the crew)...

I assume Leuchars has given up its SAR unit.?

C&B

[Farmer 1]

BEagle

A reminder that the RNLI volunteer crews are funded almost entirely by voluntary donations and provide a 24-hour service around the coast of the UK and Republic of Ireland.

I sit to be corrected, but I think that's not quite correct. Remove the word "almost". Otherwise, I could not disagree less.

Heroes (/heroines?) all.

[BEagle]

From the RNLI website:


The Royal National Lifeboat Institution saves lives at sea.

Our volunteer crews are funded almost entirely by voluntary donations and we provide a 24-hour service around the coast of the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Have you joined yet?

Heroines? Surely you must have heard of Grace Darling?

[jimgriff]

Re the RNLI.

"Almost" is accurate as the RNLI sits on a huge mountain of cash which is invested and collects a lot of interest. This is in order to fund future developement and new boats. This is so it does not live hand to mouth so to speak and is a wise funding policy. Most major charities do it. It is a brilliant charity and is widely regtarded as the best in the worls by its peers.

Heroines is also correct as there are a lot of gals in the crews these days and do a brilliant job.

[dolphinops]

RAF spokesman in Scotland, Michael Mulford, said: "They took off at 1745 BST and climbed into the skies above Leuchars and air traffic lost them.

Damn careless 10 miles out I say!!

More spokesperson bolleaux

[Milt]

Pontius Navigator

You are mixed up with the F-111 crew module.

If it comes down in water with a leak then moving the stick back and forth operates the bilge pump.

[Roo1]

C&B , the SAR effort came from Boulmer and Prestwick, plus the LB`s as BEagle said earlier. Damn good going for Boulmer as flight time is usuallly about 1 hour to that position.

Sadly you are right in that Leuchars lost their SAR flight many moons ago.

Ref RNLI, the mechanics are full time on many stations, as are the coxswains.
Interestingly (vaguely) the Thames LB`s now have some full time crews. Actually, thats not interesting at all at this time on a sunday morning. Jeez.

[Farmer 1]

I was right then - I do sit corrected.

Mind you - Grace was not RNLI, she was the young daughter of a lighthouse keeper.

But definitely - most definitely - a heroine.