Most are now grounded,they can be re-lifed but not really financially viable as it is an expensive job.

BTW...the photo is a little misleading in that there is at least one nose rib missing !

Some 'busmans' holiday that was LOL

A spanner, I believe, which judging by it's condition(amount of corrosion), had been in the wing for some time before jamming the ailerons on that day.

Thank you for the respective insight. Doesn't take away the chill of the event but all these years later I appreciate understanding a little of what likely happened beyond what I witnessed.

Only ever witnessed 1, Canberra landing at Marham with its brakes on a few years ago, (2003/4 ish?) it veered off the runway after blowing its mains. All the crew walked away thankfully.

A few months later I was outside our hangar at Marham one night talking to a plumber mate, I heard an unfamiliar noise. "WTF was that?" I said, aforementioned plumber mate (who'd been in 20+ years) calmly said "Sh*t, I think that's seats going."

We legged it into rects control to see what we had up, nothing, and all the other Tonka Sqns were away.

Sadly he was soon proved correct as we heard the crash alarm. A Canberra T4 WJ866 (if I remember rightly) had gone in on approach. We later learned that the two pilots had died and the nav had fairly serious injuries. RIP

A sound I hope never to hear or witness again.

Saw the 2 russians collide at Fairford, very exciting.
Watched a microlite crash on landing at Barton, 50 yds in front of me earlier this year. I got there first and failed miserably to shut down the screaming engine. It self destructed seconds later, very exciting.
Handling pilot, stoofed a Puma into a jungle clearing in the early 90's. Very Very exciting!! In fact there was a bit of brown adrenaline that day.

Witnessed two, the glider crash during the air show at Brize in 1981 which sadly was fatal. Laarbruch in 1996 or 1997 watching a 4 ship of Harriers take off when one suddenly pitches nose down; the pilot ejected horizontally and was dumped straight onto the ground when his chute opened. Lucky to survive when the burning aircraft tumbled down the runway past him.

I watched my own!

Do tell LM (and welcome back) :ok:

1st June 1981 - Jaguar XX828.

Birdstrike - canopy shattered - plexiglass down both engines.

Big double surge and fire.

Enjoyed about eight seconds in the 'chute.

Handle mounted on nice wooden block hanging in hallway.

Was my instructor on a gliding course at RAF Bicester, in the 60's. He took me up in a Blanik on the last flight of the day, one summers evening. Did some pretty hairy stuff I must say. My summer tan was a few shades lighter! Very sad the way he died RIP

It seems that many of you ex-Lightning chaps were very careless at looking after HM The Queen's Jaguars!

They weren't very good at looking after the Lighnings either......:}

Difficult to do with its' propensity to catch fire!

One of my observations in Post No 40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...Ler6YFg#t=295s