Andover aircraft crash at Pisa

[SFCC]

Cazatou....you are wrong yes, oh, and spekesoftly me old son, if the co pilot mentioned incorrect flap settings, it was certainly not the co pilot of the accident aircraft.

I can tell you this without any doubt.

[javelin]

The right engine failed shortly after rotate and below blueline speed meaning the inevitable was about to happen. Subsequent investigation found a damaged turbine disc some distance from the aeroplane which indicated failure of the unit at or around rotate. This was uncovered in a RR report some time after the event and was not included in the original report. The photo shows the flap to be in an expected setting, certainly not more than normal for a STOL takeoff.

This, by the way, is from the horses mouth this very afternoon, not hearsay

[Yarpy]

I recall an RNZAF Andover Captain earning an AFC for an emergency flight to the Chatham Islands [south of the South Island of New Zealand to collect a sick child.

Was that, by any chance, Hamish Raynham?

[Tigger_Too]

This, by the way, is from the horses mouth this very afternoon, not hearsay

Uhm... Sorry, but you are telling us what you heard from someone else are you not? So unless you are wearing a saddle, and have iron shoes nailed to your feet, then yes it is hearsay.

"Hearsay: the report of another person's words by a witness, which is usually disallowed as evidence in a court of law."

[Vick Van Guard]

Wasn't the fact that the auto-feathering system was disconnected on Service Darts a major contributory factor to this accident?

I used to work with the co-pilot a few years ago at East Midlands operating the flight checking Andover’s. Seem to remember he had the picture on his locker. Nice chap.

[javelin]

Auto feather wasn't active, correct and yes, he is a very nice chap ;-)

[johnrush]

Yes it crashed on take off to to power conversion unit failure.the loadmaster and a 46 sqn sgt were killed.the sergeants leg got trapped in para seat.a tactical take off is a short take off which the aircraft was capable of.the sgt who died had a service number ending in the same as the aircraft number being 609.

[Tinribs]

para crash

As has been said so many times, it was a long time ago but I recall seeing an Iti newspaper stating that because it had a photo of a crew member carrying a chianti bottle the crew had been drinking in flight and were drunk.
This seemed not to fit with the bottle being clearly unopened in the walk out photo and the crash happening at take off
Again we can always trust the press to make a reasoned sensible adjustment to facts when a story ios needed

[101Entry]

Pisa Andover

It was an unauthorised STOL take-off with the Falcon's para display team on board. They suffered an EFATO and the co-pilot admitted he was looking at the crowds at the time, and therefore couldn't identify the failed engine. The co-pilot was removed from flying and became an ATC, and the Captain left the RAF, and interestingly, for a while afterwards had the grass-cutting contract at Thorney Island. I know their names but will not publicise them here.

[Herod]

Tinribs. The chianti bottle picture was following the crash of the C130 at Pisa. I was working in the ops room on that exercise, although not on the night of the crash. There were 69 Italian paras on board. It wasn't recommended to go downtown for a few days afterwards.

By pure coincidence, I was the duty Ops Controller at Thorney island when XS609 went in. As such, apart from the comcen operator, I was the first person in UK to hear about it. However, as you can imagine, handling it soon went way above my rank.

[Brian 48nav]

Herod

I think it was 42 Italian paratroopers plus 6 crew, including the 'jumping bean'. You are right, it wasn't wise to go downtown for a few days because the Italian press were trying to suggest the RAF crews were a load of drunkards. They had not taken into account that there were 25 crews on the detachment and that only 9 crews were on that first sortie - we were in bed about 9 o'clock for an 0300 wake-up call. The other 16 crews of course were downtown enjoying themselves!

A very very sad time, made more difficult for the crews because those were the days of limited phone communications, no mobiles and just a one pay phone in our hotel. I managed to speak to my wife later that evening but fortunately she had been able to contact Lyneham ops' in the afternoon to confirm that I was alive!

I knew the unfortunate captain of the Andover as he had been in Changi on Far East Comm' when I was there on 48 - I met him a few times later at a mutual friend's house, a broken man and now RIP I believe.

[West Coast]

The RNZAF bought 10 ex-RAF Andovers and flew them for the best part of 20 years or so!

They put them to great use in Somalia. Sharp crews.

[smujsmith]

Brian,

Like you, I well remember the loss of the Albert (XV216) in Pisa all those years ago. The aircraft had recently (prior to the event) been serviced by the team I worked on at Colerne, so, as well as all relevant paperwork being collected, our team were confined to camp until the result of the accident enquiry was published. I could never understand why the confinement was maintained, whilst we were allowed to continue to carry out our duties on the current aircraft under Base 3 inspection. Although, the bosses realised that they could work the captive techies 6 instead of 5 days a week ! ISTR 47 Italian paratroopers died along with the crew, a truly sad event. Apologies for the thread creep gentlemen.

Smudge

[chute packer]

The RNZAF bought 10 ex-RAF Andovers and flew them for the best part of 20 years or so!

They also managed to log some gliding time on one as well along with a barrel roll.

[Old-Duffer]

Below is the fatal casualty list for the Pisa Hercules and the Andover.

Flight Lieutenant Colin George HARRISON 26 Captain
Flight Lieutenant Meurig SWANN-PRICE 25 Co-Pilot
Flying Officer Michael Fred FAWCETT 22 Navigator
Flight Sergeant Brian David KING 32 Flight Engineer
Sergeant Brian Paul FULFORD 28 Air Quartermaster
Sergeant Ralph Russell LEE 37 Parachute Jumping Instructor, No 1 Parachute Training School
1st Lieutenant Pier Maria MAGNAGHI Italian Army Parachutists
1st Lieutenant Ernesto BORGHESAN
Warrant Officer 2nd Class Giuseppe AUGELLO
Staff Sergeant Carmine CELOZZI
Corporal Carlo COLOMBINI
Lance Corporal Maurizio BENERICETTI
Lance Corporal Silvano BOLZONI
Lance Corporal Antonio FIUMARA
Lance Corporal Giuseppe IANNI
Lance Corporal Paolo INTERRANTE
Lance Corporal Sandro LOCORI
Lance Corporal Franco VANTAGGIATO
Parachutist Leonardo ANGELINI
Parachutist Michele CARASI
Parachutist Ettore CARTA
Parachutist Arcangelo CIAPPELLANO
Parachutist Arturo DELANA
Parachutist Vincenzo DE MARCO
Parachutist Luciano DALLAGO
Parachutist Ubaldo DE MITRI
Parachutist Pietro DESSI
Parachutist Paolo DONNARUMMA
Parachutist Danilo DAL ZOTTO
Parachutist Angelo DE VITO
Parachutist Giuseppe D’ALESSANDRO
Parachutist Antonio D’ALESSANDRO
Parachutist Guglielmo DINATALE
Parachutist Fulvio DALL’ASTA
Parachutist Micro FARRARI
Parachutist Giuseppe FACCHETTI
Parachutist Carlo FRASSON
Parachutist Salvatore FUMUSA
Parachutist William FUGERI
Parachutist Renato FRACASSETTI
Parachutist Rocco GIANNATTASIO
Parachutist Giovanni GIANNINI
Parachutist Bruno GUIDOZZI
Parachutist Giuseppe GUARNIERI
Parachutist Andrea GINEX
Parachutist Alberto GIGIOLI
Parachutist Roberto LIUZZI
Parachutist Danele MATELLI
Parachutist Roberto MORGANTI
Parachutist Elia QUARTI
Parachutist Silvano SABATINI
Parachutist Leonardo TORSELLO

Squadron Leader Frederick William LAST 40 No 1 PTS
Sergeant Royston Charles BULLEN 29 1 Parachute Training School
Believed to be two Italian officers

Old Duffer

[fdr]

Samuel,

you commented on the RNZAF pilot getting an AFC for the medivac from the Chatham Islands. The PIC was then Flt Lt Gary Wrathall. The landing was at night, and was effectively an operation past PNR which was the slightly interesting part of it. I was in the right window seat.

Gary passed away a few years back. He was an interesting person, having started as an gunner/signaller on Sunderlands a long time before. He had left the airforce and spent time up in Fiji with Air Pac, on the HS as well as the BAC1-11.

[reynoldsno1]

I knew Gary Wrathall - great guy. He also spent time with SOAF in the 80's flying Skyvans. Hamish Raynham was also in Oman at the same time, on BAC 1-11s.
I believe the captain of the Andover at Pisa was also in Oman at the same time

[DeanoP]

Ref Post No37:
Is this the same Hamish Raynham who had ballet training before joining the RAF? If so, he used to astound us by doing very high kicks/jumps in the bar. It might have been at Thorney Island or Colerne

[RHKAAF]

I was one of the many ex Andover crew in Oman during the early 80's.
Yes, the Pisa Andover pilot was also there at the time.
I never knew Gary Wrathall's first name...... just "Tikki" as he was a Kiwi
A lot of the ex-Oman guys also left for HongKong later when Omanisation got into full swing.