Queens Flight helicopter accident (1950/60s ??).

[luffers79]

Any truth in this ?

We had a Wing Commander Flying at Buckeburg around 1954 who was later promoted to Air Commodore i/c The Queens Flight. Apparently Prince Philip was to take a helicopter somewhere but took the Reserve a/c instead because something was U/S after engine start. Air Commodore J.B. took it up later to do an air test (after it was repaired ?) & was killed (? Rotor blade failure ?). Lucky Prince Philip ?.

[StopStart]

Air Cdre Blount was one of 4 killed when the QF Whirlwind they were travelling in crashed in Berks, 7 Dec 67. They were on their way to Westlands to discuss buying helos for the Queens Flight. Cause was fatigue in the rotor shaft that allowed the head to separate. The fatigue was there from manufacture.

As for Prince Phillip etc - no idea!

[Warmtoast]

Prince Philip was to take a helicopter somewhere but took the Reserve a/c instead because something was U/S after engine start

Unlikely as The Court Circular dated 8th December 1967 recorded

The Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Lydd Airport-Kent this afternoon in an aircraft of The Queen's Flight from Germany.

D of E had been in Germany since 29 November 1967 visiting troops in Berlin, Minden and Soest.

[Fareastdriver]

IIRC the stories about the Duke should have been in it still sticks. The aircraft involved was planned to be in Germany for his visit but the aircaft were changed at the last moment.
Queens Flight were half life/half tolerences and the fatigue fault was caused by no more than a short interruption of the cooling fluid when the shaft was being machined.

[Oldlae]

The flaw may have been a one-off but we had a tremendous programme changing all of the Main Gearboxes on the 22 Sqdn Whirlwinds and keeping SAR operational at the same time. I was stationed at St Mawgan but found myself at Manston changing the last Gearbox when to our amazement a Victor bomber landed on a foam laid runway in our full view, the hatches were blown, possibly too late, and one landed on the port wing leading edge just where the wing profile altered. The aircraft was still there when we left.

[Blacksheep]

The aircraft involved was planned to be in Germany for his visit but the aircaft were changed at the last moment.

That would be a very long haul for a Westland Whirlwind HCC12.

Yes it was a machining flaw in the main rotor drive shaft. After the accident only twin engine helicopters were used by the Royal Flight. (They still had a single main rotor shaft though...)

The surviving Whirlwind HCC12 , XR 486, was transferred to 32 Squadron at Northolt. Externally you could differentiate between a HCC12 and the HCC10s by the double cabin windows on a 12. 32's HCC 10s were HAR10s modified for VIP transport by the addition of cabin linings, airline seats and red carpets. (Oh yes, and nutplates for mounting a star plate according to the rank of the occupant)

[Oldlae]

XR486 is now at the Helicopter Museum W-S-M after a brief spell with civil reg and a permit to fly.

[Warmtoast]

FWIW I was at Biggin Hill in April 1955 when the Queen Mum made her first trip in a helicopter to visit 600 and 2600 (City of London) Squadrons as their Honorary Air Commodore. She flew in from Smith’s Lawn, Windsor Great Park, to Biggin Hill and return in a Westland WS-55 Whirlwind of the Fleet Air Arm.

These two photos show her arrival and departure.

[peterperfect]

Can anyone state what was the point of the extra glasswork behind the cockpit on a HCC12 ? It wasnt for the benefit of the pax, perhaps ease of sighting a MGB leak ?

[Oldlae]

The glasswork may have been intended to ease sighting of the gearbox area but was hidden in the services by the soundproofing thus negating any benefit.

[Fareastdriver]

That would be a very long haul for a Westland Whirlwind HCC12.

Not really. I flew the subject of another thread, XP395, from Odiham to Geilenkirken in 2hr 40 mins on the 7th Oct 1967.

[Blacksheep]

Two hours and forty minutes in a Whirly is quite enough for most people and certainly too much for a Royal Personage. I'm sure HRH would have preferred an Andover.

[Peter Allen]

HRH lucky to avoid accident

Originally Posted by luffers79

Any truth in this ?

We had a Wing Commander Flying at Buckeburg around 1954 who was later promoted to Air Commodore i/c The Queen Flight. Apparently Prince Philip was to take a helicopter somewhere but took the Reserve a/c instead because something was U/S after engine start. Air Commodore J.B. took it up later to do an air test (after it was repaired ?) & was killed (? Rotor blade failure ?). Lucky Prince Philip ?.

I was an young RAF corporal fitter on the Queens Flight. I inspected the main shaft of the helicopter during a minor service. After the service it had a electrical failure and I was tasked with changing the generator outside on the pan. It had rained and someone had spilt oil on the serving steps, I slipped and dropped the new item. It did not appear to be damaged apart from a concrete scuff mark but I rejected it.

The stores did not have another. HRH due to fly somewhere either that day or the next, the other aircraft was not available and he was apparently not amused and had to travel by road. I received a bollocking for dropping it and was praised for not fitting it. The next time the aircraft flew was the fatal flight to Westlands with The Captain of the Queen’s Flight , the Chief Engineer, chief helicopter pilot and chief navigator.

They were all lovely people who had time of day for us fitters. It was sometime before I knew that the shaft had failed inside the gearbox so I could not have seen any crack. The experience led me to civilian career in Quality Management. The technical cause was known as “grinding abuse “. During an grinding operation at Westlands the factory experienced a intermittent power supply.

The grinding machine had three electrical motors, a big one driving the large wheel, one driving the work spindle and a small one driving the suds or coolant pump. The operator was slow in removing the cut the inertia of the big wheel carried on, but the flow of coolant stopped the work locally overheated the coolant came back on and quenched the material resulting in a local hard spot.in service this led to a fatigue crack developing.

The fleet was grounded and one outer faulty shaft was found. There is a nondestructive test for machining abuse called Nital etch inspection which if not properly carried out can result in failures from hydrogen embrittlement. At the time Westlands did not carry this out on the balance of risks, they do now. I have used this story to stop cost savings on high strength steel parts by dropping the requirements for etch inspection during my subsequent career.

[Mogwi]

We had a Whirly 7 lose its head in a similar fashion at Culdrose in 67/68, as I recall.

mog