Some of the glider stories above have reminded me of another glider crash which I had forgotten about.

I was a founder member of the South Wales Gliding Club which started with a single seat Tutor on mountain site near Pontypridd. On the first day the wind was probably about 20 knots and, after two successful flights by the CFI and his deputy, the next person on the list was strapped in for his first flight. I discovered afterwards that he had not flown any sort of aeroplane since he flew Mosquitos in the war.

I was acting as "mid field bat" when the launch started and I watched in horror as the glider shot into the air, rolled upside down, and dived back onto the ground. I was one of the first on the scene and, as I ran towards the wreckage, I was preparing myself for whatever injuries I would find. I plunged into the wreckage and, to my amazement, there was nobody there. Totally puzzled, I look around and there was the intrepid pilot sitting on the ground, looking very white faced, but totally unharmed.

That was my first day of civilian gliding. My first day of ATC gliding at St Athan, some years earlier, witnessed a similar glider plunge to the ground from the top of the launch. This time I was pleased to be a bit further away as the result was the death of a young lady, the daughter of an Air Commodore.

Not a crash, per se, but more on the humourous side. Towards the end of my time working, I was an Immigration Officer at Terminal 4 Heathrow. One day, wandering around the vasty empty corridors on surveillance waiting for a flight to arrive, my Chief Immigration Officer came up and we started to chat, as you do. He said "Do you know, Moley, I've been at Heathrow for 24 years and never seen any aeroplanes with a problem?" I replied "Just look over your shoulder!!" as, taxying over by Terminal 3, there was an Air India 747 with the starboard inner well alight.....

Rapidly extinguished by the crew before all the emergency services arrived.

The early days seem to have been the worst
 

At the risk of showing my age...

Neil Williams in a Stampe (I think) at Biggin Hill in the 1960s when he hit the ground sideways after falling out of a roll. I was first on the scene and found him still strapped in with the airframe forward of the seat folded back parallel with the rear fuselage. Luckily nothing worse than bruising from the straps.

I was driving the winch when Rod Brown fell off the cable in the Cranwell Prefect on summer camp at, I think, Upavon in around 1962. Luckily he wasn't badly hurt despite my last view of him disappearing behind the brow of the hill looking almost vertical. We put the wreckage onto a 3-tonner and broke off any bits that stuck out so it could be removed by road. Somewhat to our surprise, it was later repaired and flew again.

Tiger Moth/Stampe mid air at Weston Super Mare in July 1972 just after I'd done my show in a CFS JP3. Took off for my next destination on the right hand side of the runway with the wreckage still blocking the left side. Luckily no-one was killed, although I believe injuries were significant after a vertical drop from around 100 feet during a multi-aircraft flour bombing display.

Blackhawk crash on the first Sunday of Farnborough 1974. The wreckage bounced towards the RAE Wessex on crash duty, which was fully powered down at the time with Bryant Holland strapped in at the controls. Glad it wasn't me - we did day and day about in that role that year. Luckily the wreckage stopped short of the Wessex, but very sadly both crew died.

I was leading a 4-ship of 20 Sqn Hunters in February 1967 when Flt Lt Dave Thompson had a major engine problem out of gliding range to an airfield. I had a grandstand view as he ejected, but unfortunately his parachute caught on a very tall tree on the edge of a clearing and he fell quite a way to the ground. Fortunately the S&R crew recovered him safely to Singapore and he was sent back to UK immobilised to protect his damaged spine. Despite this, after only about about 6 months recouperation he was all but ready to return to the Squadron when, on his way to his final medical, he was killed in the Hither Green train crash. Dreadful way to go after such a remarkable recovery.

Going back to Molemot's comments - watched two bendy-busses, one full of passengers, pass a bit close to each other. The wing mirrors of both busses were left on the apron. I always wondered what the soon-to-be flying people thought.

Was at Lowestoft when the Harrier droppped out of the sky, fortunately no fatality.

Molemot, that reminds me or a similar incident at Gatwick.

I had been called into the bosses office for a "no tea or biccies" discussion and while I was getting this "talking too" we both looked out of the window on to an airside apron where a Boeing 707 had just come off the stand on push back. It this point the crew had fired both port engine fire bottles.

A few years later I asked Colin what drew his attention to that, after all we had both ignored jet engines for some years treating it as background noise. His answer was similar to my thoughts. We both thought that our subconcious brains had twigged the engine tone was not the usual and therefore worth a look.

3 for me,
first one a 210 Sqdn Shack at Ballykelly in 1961.I was walking to breakfast and idly watching said a/c droning it's way down on final to 02 with, ISTR, the No2 feathered.
Now any Mk2 arrival is, was, an event and any with one out was worth watching, I heard the engines throttle down as it crossed the threshhold and then an almighty bounce, which wasn't controlled, it then slowly pirouetted to the right, the gear collapsed and it came to a halt on the grass then burst into flames.
All the hatches opened and the whole crew were out in seconds as the pyros gave a good firework display:ok:
Second one was at Wyton, a sceptic on final to Alconbury in an RF4 had problems and both ejected, one came down in the married patch and the other on the sports field but his seat nearly gave some Wraf's a shock when his seat crashed into the top of their accommodation block:ooh:
Third was Dutch Holland's fatal 543 Sqdn Victor crash:(
Regards,Den.

I was fortunate enough not to witness any losses whilst in the mob. I also missed being sent to Lockerbie by being in the Naafi shop buying crisps when they virtually emptied the blocks. Glen Tilt by being away gliding when they came knocking round the married patch and The Mull by the toss of a coin.
As a 14 year old I did see two light a/c collide during an air race over my village. One of them appeared to be about to make a successful forced landing in the field I was in until it hit power lines. Not a pleasant memory.

Saw XV416 go in after a donk failure in the circuit. Both crew banged out and I watched as the jet slowly planted itself in the Witham around Tatty Bridge. Parts of the wreckage ended up in some old dear's garden. After ascertaining that she was safe it transpired that she was hard of hearing and she said 'Oooh, I thought I heard the dog barking'...

Saw young Lennon tent peg a Mk3 during a practice display at Binbrook leading to the famous 'That one's broke boss, can I have another?' phone call.

I think it was Charlie Chan who went in off the coast at Akrotiri in 87.

Geezers of Nazareth, I cant remember the exact year but it would have been around 1996 when I was detached to Fairford for the air show. It was the last day and the flying display had finished, there was going to be a load of hot air balloons take off. I was sat in our transport HQ portacabin which we had a long pole attached to flying a flag when I heard and felt an almighty thump, I ran outside and looked up at a basket directly above my head and then looked at our flag pole which was now very out of shape, then I thought it might be a good idea to run for it. I stood back and watched in amazement as the balloon dragged the basket over the car park then couldnt believe that there were still many more balloons taking off, they came over and most (id say 75%) at the same spot lost lift and started to come down. I dont know if that was the same incident as you saw Geezers of Nazareth?

http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...psd46bcf44.jpg

My father remembered eight Harts on their backs when 142 and 12 Sqns arrived at Aldergrove gunnery camp in 1938. Like Alcock and Brown, they found that Ireland is green for good reason -- it's very wet! As there was no radio the others kept on coming, but thankfully nobody was hurt. As I would find for myself later when recovering various Tiger Moth/Auster arrivals, acetate dope is a delicious supplement for dairy cattle.

At Khormaksar in 1952 we heard the all too familiar dull thump and saw a plume of black smoke rising from the salt pans to the east of the field. A Buckmaster had spun in off the circuit, killing the pilot. On the other hand the one-legged antics of the Brigands would attract scores of rubbernecks as the hapless pilot tried various manoeuvres to lower the offending leg. Long afterwards we heard the cause was hydraulic seal deterioration in the Aden heat and humidity.

A Meteor T7 spun in on finals at Leuchars in 1954. Its very experienced WW2 pilot was on first solo when the cockpit opened (sideways on T7). He could have jettisoned it, but people said they saw him waving when he was probably trying to pull it closed. The Meatbox being willing to spin even without disturbed airflow over its tail, it went in vertically beside Leuchars station and the three-coach train about to depart for St. Andrews. We couldn't see the station for the vast pall of flame and smoke and feared the worst.

In 1971 I was waiting to fly with my friend Giles who was test pilot at RNAY Sydenham, now George Best Airport in Belfast. His Buccaneer ran out of fuel downwind (I think the jettison valve had stuck open) and we heard Giles bang out after observer Ricky. Giles landed atop a three-storey building, the chute collapsed and he slid over the edge, to smash his elbow on touchdown. The Bucc, nose pitched high, landed some 200 yds in front of him, taking down the front of an office block fortunately without injury or fire.

Thankfully life seems much safer these days.

I was taken by my Dad in the mid-50s to see the wreckage of a Super Sabre that had come down the day before in a field near Herford in Germany, where he was based. We had watched it circling on the day with smoke pouring out the back, getting lower and lower. The pilot apparently ejected when already on the ground but did not survive.

For a young lad it was distressing, and my first contact with destruction.

My Dad told me some years layer it was important that I also saw how easily it could all end.

Since then - fortunately no further accidents. Apart from my own effort with an EFATO which ended with a PA28 in a ploughed field at the end of Wellesbourne, but no harm done!

I was a very young APO (University Cadet) on summer det to the Akrotiri Eng Wing. Half way through a discussion with a chief about the engineering task of the day we get the Emergency State 2 tannoy advising that there was a Lightning on single-engine approach. Everyone seemed to consider this about par for the course so we carried on.

Thirty seconds later, the crash siren goes off, followed by "EMERGENCY STATE ONE, LIGHTNING CRASH ON APPROACH" or words to that effect. We all pile outside to see nothing but a pall of smoke... no parachute.

All rather glum for the next twenty minutes, until the Stn Cdr comes onto the tannoy and announces that the pilot was in hospital but apparently OK.

It was indeed Charlie Chan and he was in the bar that evening. The story came out that he'd shot one of the wheels off the spreader bar of the banner and it had gone down the intake and taken out one engine. On finals, FOD from the dead engine had caused the other one to fail, and he'd banged out just in time. There were apparently two other minor casualties: a squaddie in an OP atop a water tower who had jumped clear when he saw an out-of-control Lightning seemingly headed his way, and a local civvy taken to hospital with shock when a Lightning went in only a couple of hundred yards away.

30 Apr 1990, I was attending the Flight Safety course at Adastral House. IFS started his welcome brief by telling us that the RAF had been lucky enough to have had a good year so far. "Perhaps I shouldn't have said that - last time I did there was a mid-air the very next day", he remarked.

At 1037, probably at the very time we were being briefed by IFS, Shackleton AEW 2 WR965 flew into a mist-shrouded hill on the Isle of Harris, killing all 10 on board.

I don't think that IFS used that comment again.....:(

1976, sheppard AFB.
Together with my instructor pilot I preflighted our T-37, when a guy from the sister flight also in a T-37on a crew solo mission suffered an engine failure on downwind leg and jumped out.
Heard the bang of the seat, saw the pilot on the chute (uninjured) and the fireball beyond the runway. Mission cancelled.

It was actually a calming event, as there was the rumor, that the bang seat of the T37 would just do bang, and stay in the aircraft, as it had no rocket packs and was weight limited.

franzl

Satellite Driver,

That wasn't a squaddie. ;)

We called the hill Bacon Grill Hill. The film at the time was Hamburger Hill, but, well.. we are British after all.

Only one, and it was one too many.

Structural failure or maintenance error (I recall aileron separation) during a gliding aerobatics display at the Brize families day on 12th June 1981. Google leads me to 'Old' Andy Gough. RIP.

Unfortunately - it was only a matter of time before an accident happened with andy gough,he really did push it on his displays...I never enjoyed watching the last minute of his display !!

The wing structure on the Blaniks was fairly flimsy (esp outbd)...here is a pic i took whilst repairing one abroad in the mid 80's...as you can see - much of the strength is in the skin...personally I would not have wanted to do more than the gentlest of occasional aerobatics in a blanket...



http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/v...bwe/img035.jpg



rgds LR

Aren't they all grounded now? I flew a blanket about 10 years ago, did a few aeros in it. Bit scary now looking at that.

Never witnessed an accident. Was however tasked with arranging the clean up of one, a single seat trainer that attempted a loop without sufficient altitude. Two imprinted memories - the resemblance of the remains of the pilots helmet to a bust egg shell and the snapped cable from his shoulder belts.

RIP naive mate.