Phantom loss

[GD on Wheels]

I recently bought a dvd called British Phantom Pilot. One of the films was called Oversight, a dramatised account of a real event which was filmed in1976. Some of you guys may have watched it during trade training. The saftey film showed the lead up to the loss due to miss under standings and various short cuts etc. What I would like to know if poss what was the outcome? Where the air crew lost and what lessons were learnt etc? As that was left unanswered.

 

[Sospan]

Did you catch the airframe number ?

 

[retired real lecky]

Did you catch the airframe number ?

There were quite a few Phantom crashes that year, the airframe number is therefore the only real way the identify the aircraft positvely.

 

[gemarriott]

If it is the one I'm thinking about it was the "Bruggen salute" where the wing folded on take off due to not being locked down oe checked. Both crew banged out satis, several plumbers got the obligatory free beers and "special thank yous" whilst several others got smacked bottoms.

 

[Scaley brat]

If it is the one I'm thinking about it was the "Bruggen salute" where the wing folded on take off due to not being locked down oe checked. Both crew banged out satis, several plumbers got the obligatory free beers and "special thank yous" whilst several others got smacked bottoms.

That's the one I was thinking of too.
A mate of mine worked on her before she went up, he said his clearest memory of that incident was being bowled over by the Flt Sgt as he sprinted to secure the 700.
I should add that it's also the only film I remember being shown during MY training of a Tomb going in.

 

[Sospan]

If it is the one I'm thinking about it was the "Bruggen salute" where the wing folded on take off due to not being locked down oe checked. Both crew banged out satis, several plumbers got the obligatory free beers and "special thank yous" whilst several others got smacked bottoms.

In that case it could have been XV431 on 11th October 1974. A 31 Sqn fubar.

There was another case of wing failure in 1976 but I am not sure if the was folding or structural failure.

 

[Sospan]

An interesting account of the ejection by the Jockey can be read here

 

[Ex-Bay]

I liked the bit about the Bang alerting even the most docile of Navigators.

 

[GD on Wheels]

Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know they survived.

 

[Inevertouchedit]

That's the one I was thinking of too.
A mate of mine worked on her before she went up, he said his clearest memory of that incident was being bowled over by the Flt Sgt as he sprinted to secure the 700.

Reminds me of an old Line-Snec I used to work for. There was a great big bottle of ketchup on top of the bookcase that held the 700s in the line hut "just in case I have to eat some paperwork - quickly !!"

 

[LoneRanger]

Also reminds me of sitting in an OCU Phantom on a cold frosty morn checking the seats & watching the line team manually unfold wings.(RAF removed powered wing-fold kit to save weight) This consisted of Cpl on wing pushing it over & two SACs underneath to catch it & lock it. On shouting "OK" Cpl pushed wing & a strange twanging sound occured as it bounced up & down, SACs on other wing shouted "come on then push it"
I said, you'll be wanting these seat safe for Servicing so you can drag it back to the Hangar, not happy at all.

 

[Goatherdingsplitter]

Also reminds me of sitting in an OCU Phantom on a cold frosty morn checking the seats & watching the line team manually unfold wings.(RAF removed powered wing-fold kit to save weight) This consisted of Cpl on wing pushing it over & two SACs underneath to catch it & lock it. On shouting "OK" Cpl pushed wing & a strange twanging sound occured as it bounced up & down, SACs on other wing shouted "come on then push it"
I said, you'll be wanting these seat safe for Servicing so you can drag it back to the Hangar, not happy at all.

Not on all of them, I can assure you. I went out one morning (very early) to ground run and spread the wings on one of our hydraulic wing-fold equipped jets, only to find out as I whipped out the first ground lock that I'd mis-read the tail number, at about the same time as the outer wing on a manually locked system, was trying to hammer my head into my shouldersDT_Xtremez_42: I definitely learned about servicing from that!!

 

[gemarriott]

Not on all of them, I can assure you. I went out one morning (very early) to ground run and spread the wings on one of our hydraulic wing-fold equipped jets, only to find out as I whipped out the first ground lock that I'd mis-read the tail number, at about the same time as the outer wing on a manually locked system, was trying to hammer my head into my shouldersDT_Xtremez_42: I definitely learned about servicing from that!!

hehehe saw that happen more than once. I near shat myself in Akrotiri once when sleeping off a hangover in the intake of a tits up jet when the sooties started the other engine to do wingfolds for the riggers on one of the hydraulic variety! The barstards knew I was in there tooDT_Xtremez_42:

 

[Bucc Boy]

hehehe saw that happen more than once. I near shat myself in Akrotiri once when sleeping off a hangover in the intake of a tits up jet when the sooties started the other engine to do wingfolds for the riggers on one of the hydraulic variety! The barstards knew I was in there tooDT_Xtremez_42:

Gem, if they knew you were in there................why did they start the other engine!?

 

[Sospan]

Gem, if they knew you were in there................why did they start the other engine!?

Have you ever seen an engine start with an oversized blank fitted

 

[Bucc Boy]

Have you ever seen an engine start with an oversized blank fitted

Good point Sospan.......Guess it turns your 'suck, bang, blow', into a bit of a 'suck, hang, noooooooooo!'.

 

[gemarriott]

Gem, if they knew you were in there................why did they start the other engine!?

have you seen the paperwork involved when some snoozer gets hoovered up by a Spey on Maxmil?DT_Xtremez_42:DT_Xtremez_31:

 

[Lamptramp]

have you seen the paperwork involved when some snoozer gets hoovered up by a Spey on Maxmil?DT_Xtremez_42:DT_Xtremez_31:

Saw what happens to a Cpl Sumpy that is sucked in! (1970, 54sqn), and he was stood on the pan!

Not nice!

 

[gemarriott]

Saw what happens to a Cpl Sumpy that is sucked in! (1970, 54sqn), and he was stood on the pan!

Not nice!

I heard quite a few tales about that one, never quite sure what to believe whether it was his own fault for fcuking about, bad servicing schedules or just bad luck depending on which tale you listened to.

 

[riggertoSTAB]

I remember the wing fold film from my liney course in 19.............

I seem to remember that the FG1 's had hydraulic wing fold (ex RN) and the FGA2'S had mandraulic wing fold (tight assed cost cutting exercise).

On a similar theme to this thread, was it an myth or did they lose a jet at Coningsby when the MCS boys didin't close the radome correctly and it opened in flight? 70's early 80's ish!

Still look back on my time on the mighty F4 with fond memories. Great people, great times!