Harrier Down
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Can't imagine that this particular ship (!) will ever fly again - it was quite a hefty impact, and the salt water will play merry hell with the avionics.
So, having wrecked the engine, airframe and all of the LRU's, I reckon that's the end of her. But aeroplanes can be replaced, and I shouldn't think anyone's that bothered about £20 mil up the wall, particularly as there was no loss of life.
Just hope that Lowestoft see it that way too, and keep running the show - it certainly seems that a professional approach has paid off, and you can run these kind of events with complete safety. Well done to all, especially the pilot.
So, having wrecked the engine, airframe and all of the LRU's, I reckon that's the end of her. But aeroplanes can be replaced, and I shouldn't think anyone's that bothered about £20 mil up the wall, particularly as there was no loss of life.
Just hope that Lowestoft see it that way too, and keep running the show - it certainly seems that a professional approach has paid off, and you can run these kind of events with complete safety. Well done to all, especially the pilot.
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Anyone remember that particularly good flight safety poster a couple of decades ago showing a Jaguar with a choice of flight paths in the vicinity of a tall hill and the captions 'Dead safe...dead lucky...dead'? The explanatory message encouraged aircrew not to delay ejections in times of desperation. So this chap done good, and he is alive to read what we are writing about him.
Anyone else remember the equally old video of an F-14 crash on dry land where one crew member was seen descending into the fireball, only to be lifted to safety by the heat of the fire, doubtless with pretty warm boots?
Anyone else remember the equally old video of an F-14 crash on dry land where one crew member was seen descending into the fireball, only to be lifted to safety by the heat of the fire, doubtless with pretty warm boots?
Yes, Him
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Zoom,
Remember both. The F-14 was one of the prototypes (if not the first ) which crashed on its second (I think) flight on app to Calverton, Long Island. Hyd probs ( cavitation?) leading to divergent pitch oscillations.
Remember both. The F-14 was one of the prototypes (if not the first ) which crashed on its second (I think) flight on app to Calverton, Long Island. Hyd probs ( cavitation?) leading to divergent pitch oscillations.
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Harrier UP!
Some pics of the recovery to be found here:
http://www.keymags.co.uk/dcforum/DCForumID1/1285.html
Looks rather sorry for itself.
Big brown stain at stbd wing root of any significance do you think, or just mud?
http://www.keymags.co.uk/dcforum/DCForumID1/1285.html
Looks rather sorry for itself.
Big brown stain at stbd wing root of any significance do you think, or just mud?
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Seaside show at Eastbourne too
RAF spokesman on local news is reporting that there is a lot of disintegration to the components due to the high magnesium content and subsequent "fizzy" water!.
RAF spokesman on local news is reporting that there is a lot of disintegration to the components due to the high magnesium content and subsequent "fizzy" water!.
Avoid imitations
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Nice picture.
The state of the cockpit should fully answer the earlier query about whether the pilot should have stayed with the aircraft.
The state of the cockpit should fully answer the earlier query about whether the pilot should have stayed with the aircraft.
Pukka PPRuNer!!
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I'm no expert, but aren't the nozzles actually past horizontal, and angled slightly upward?? 
Maybe water impact? I understand if you hit it at a high enough velocity, it's like concrete......
Maybe water impact?
I understand if you hit it at a high enough velocity, it's like concrete......
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Ho hum - it happens. I ownder what the departing P1 thought as he descended back onto his recently departed aircraft.... something along the lines of 'For F*$%s sake... give me a break' 
Surely, an airframe like that was in't good old days Cat 4 and a lot of teaching material? Are GR7s like mobile phones these days - use 'em for a year and get a free upgrade?
Aftre all mighty hunters suck up that much salt as a matter of routine!
Surely, an airframe like that was in't good old days Cat 4 and a lot of teaching material? Are GR7s like mobile phones these days - use 'em for a year and get a free upgrade?
Aftre all mighty hunters suck up that much salt as a matter of routine!
The nozzles may have gone past the normal aft position due to the impact which was severe enough to trash the rest of the jet.
I'm with Mr Farley on this one though. When the jets hovering and the donk quits, it's only going one place and that's straight down - this one didn't. It started to accel forward and to do that the donk must have been producing some thrust. Looking at the video it's noticable that the jet is quite stable with brownish jet eflux - this is normal with the water injection flowing. The smoke stops and the nose comes up before the old girl starts to stagger forward and down. There could be a million causes why either the nozzles ran aft on their own or the engine lost power (water fail/ran out/DECS malfunction/birdstrike etc) but it looks like either a nozzle runaway or a loss of power(not total) which Tony didn't have the heigt to accel away from.
Good to see he got out though - even though he always was a throttle pumping ar$e!
I'm with Mr Farley on this one though. When the jets hovering and the donk quits, it's only going one place and that's straight down - this one didn't. It started to accel forward and to do that the donk must have been producing some thrust. Looking at the video it's noticable that the jet is quite stable with brownish jet eflux - this is normal with the water injection flowing. The smoke stops and the nose comes up before the old girl starts to stagger forward and down. There could be a million causes why either the nozzles ran aft on their own or the engine lost power (water fail/ran out/DECS malfunction/birdstrike etc) but it looks like either a nozzle runaway or a loss of power(not total) which Tony didn't have the heigt to accel away from.
Good to see he got out though - even though he always was a throttle pumping ar$e!
There could be a million causes why either the nozzles ran aft on their own or the engine lost power (water fail/ran out/DECS malfunction/birdstrike etc)
RHYS. NEG,
You are of course quite right, but while I was happy to speculate (without any knowledge of the crash, other than the video) on possible technical causes, I was certainy not going to start on possible "other causes". Tony is a sharp operator and I personally,would have no interest in apportioning blame or even speculating about what went on inside the cockpit without knowledge.
You are of course quite right, but while I was happy to speculate (without any knowledge of the crash, other than the video) on possible technical causes, I was certainy not going to start on possible "other causes". Tony is a sharp operator and I personally,would have no interest in apportioning blame or even speculating about what went on inside the cockpit without knowledge.
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Flaps62
“Tony is a sharp operator and I personally,would have no interest in apportioning blame or even speculating about what went on inside the cockpit without knowledge.”
You don’t mind speculating about engineers then?
“Tony is a sharp operator and I personally,would have no interest in apportioning blame or even speculating about what went on inside the cockpit without knowledge.”
You don’t mind speculating about engineers then?
Oh I See,
Have re-read my original post several times now and can see no-way in which I point the finger at engineers. Water pumps fail, engine control units have stray wigglies and nozzles do run away on their own. Suggest you check shoulder for chips.
Have re-read my original post several times now and can see no-way in which I point the finger at engineers. Water pumps fail, engine control units have stray wigglies and nozzles do run away on their own. Suggest you check shoulder for chips.
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Fisherman nets jet crash ejector seat
A fisherman has landed the ejector seat from a jet which crashed at Lowestoft airshow.
Jeffery Melton found the last part of the Harrier - the rest had been salvaged by air force experts and taken back to RAF Wittering last week.
Mr Melton netted it while trawling for shrimp. The seat enabled pilot Flt Lt Tony Cann to escape without serious injury.
The 70kg seat was intact and even housed a crab, which had settled in the parachute holder.
Accident investigators are still trying to work out what caused the £15 million jump jet to plunge into the sea in front of more than 200,000 spectators.
Mr Melton told the East Anglia Daily Times: "I started to hear a knock and I knew there was something there."
He brought it back to shore where it was collected by the RAF.
A fisherman has landed the ejector seat from a jet which crashed at Lowestoft airshow.
Jeffery Melton found the last part of the Harrier - the rest had been salvaged by air force experts and taken back to RAF Wittering last week.
Mr Melton netted it while trawling for shrimp. The seat enabled pilot Flt Lt Tony Cann to escape without serious injury.
The 70kg seat was intact and even housed a crab, which had settled in the parachute holder.
Accident investigators are still trying to work out what caused the £15 million jump jet to plunge into the sea in front of more than 200,000 spectators.
Mr Melton told the East Anglia Daily Times: "I started to hear a knock and I knew there was something there."
He brought it back to shore where it was collected by the RAF.
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Have spoken to my best friend who is a senior engineer on 20 Sqn. He has said that:
1. The crashed ac was the only one painted with a display fin and they do not intend to replace it this year so rush out now and buy the limited edition airfix models.
2. Any sane pilot who is loosing height in the hover will select nozzles to the rear to try and get out of there without crashing. To sit there and do nothing when losing height in the hover is the type of stupidty you expect from the Tornado fleet (I am experienced in this area).
3. He would bet a months pay that the aircraft failed on Tony Cann. He has the utmost respect and admiration for Tony quote 'he is one of the best pilots he has ever worked with.'
I am no expert on Harrier but I am informed there is a lot of mis-informed people posting their opinions on this thread.
1. The crashed ac was the only one painted with a display fin and they do not intend to replace it this year so rush out now and buy the limited edition airfix models.
2. Any sane pilot who is loosing height in the hover will select nozzles to the rear to try and get out of there without crashing. To sit there and do nothing when losing height in the hover is the type of stupidty you expect from the Tornado fleet (I am experienced in this area).
3. He would bet a months pay that the aircraft failed on Tony Cann. He has the utmost respect and admiration for Tony quote 'he is one of the best pilots he has ever worked with.'
I am no expert on Harrier but I am informed there is a lot of mis-informed people posting their opinions on this thread.