ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55100
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| Date: | Thursday 9 December 1971 |
| Time: | 03:00 |
| Type: |  Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B |
| Owner/operator: | 12 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | XV347 |
| MSN: | B3-25-66 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | RAF Lossiemouth, Grampian, Morayshire, Scotland -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Lossiemouth, Morayshire |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Burnt out at Lossiemouth, Morayshire after the port engine disintegrated and caught fire during takeoff at approximately 60k. Both crew climbed out of the aircraft after emergency stop on runway, crew decided not to eject as there was a 50k wind that night, uninjured.
Per eyewitness report from one of the ground crew at Lossiemouth:
"12sqn early 70s,. Lossiemouth dettachment, XV347 lands from a sortie and part of the Sooties (ground crew) job in the early days of the Spey powered Buccs was to check down in between the first stage of the LP rotor blades for cracks at the root of the aluminium blades, a few engines had failed during flight and this was the RR cure.
I oversigned a lad called Boots who was a good Mechanic who did the check.The a/c was prepped for its next flight which required the removal of the SNEB Rocket Pack on the port wing and fitting a Lepus flare on the Starboard. Off she set to terrorize the Navy, but as she accelerated down the runway there was an almighty woomph as the port engine shed its !st stage rotor blades into the number 1 fuel tank at the same time as giving the alternator a good kick up the arse.
Well all those sparks and fuel did what they are supposed to do but outside the engine not inside. Well she came to a halt right on the junction of the two runways and the Matelot (Navy) fire brigade set off. Well as you can imagine she was well alight, luckily the crew escaped by jumping out as best they could.
After a while of watching the bonfire a message came through that the Navy was running short of foam in their fire engine and could we help to top it up as they pumped it out.Well it was funny watching the flames running over the fire hoses as XV347 Burned in front of us.
Then someone realized that it still had the Lepus flare on the right wing, so me and the Wingco and a plumber who had a key to loose the flare went round and grabbed it and carried it to the far side of the runway.after a while there was another woomph as the LOX tank blew up dropping the tail on the runway, slowly she burned away until the only thing left was the Starboard wing tip and the Parrot dome.
This mishap closed the runways at Lossiemouth for three months while they filled the hole in! The outcome was that at the board of inquiry, me and Boots were exonerated as RR said we would never have seen the crack in the blade with the equipment we had to use. It was'nt long after that that RR brought out Titanium LP rotor blades which cured the problem..."
Sources:
1. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%201937.html
2. http://www.blackburn-buccaneer.co.uk/S2_XV347_files/0_S2_XV347.htm
3. http://buccsociety.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&num=1274477208
4. http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1040036/
5. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1971.htm
6. http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/project/year_pages/1971.htm#dec
Images:
RAF Lossiemouth 9 December 1971
.jpg)
10th Dec 1971 RAF Lossiemouth
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Dec-2008 11:05 | harro | Updated |
| 17-Jul-2011 01:17 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Feb-2012 09:08 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Location, Source] |
| 12-Jun-2013 05:52 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Jun-2013 06:03 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [[Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]] |
| 18-Oct-2018 19:02 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 21-Aug-2022 12:07 | Peter Locke | Updated [Time, Phase, Narrative, Photo] |
| 28-Aug-2022 16:58 | peterloc847@aol.com | Updated [Photo] |
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