ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 82607
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| Date: | Friday 1 June 1973 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2 |
| Owner/operator: | 17 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | XV397 |
| MSN: | 2850 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | fürstenfeldbruck -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Bruggen, West Germany |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Crashed near Kempen, district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany 1/6/1973 after the crew ejected when the aircraft entered a steep spiral dive due to instrument failure. and only realised when it was far too late to recover. The crash resulted in a modification of the standby attitude indicator.
Pilot Squadron Leader Geoff Roberts, ejected safely, but Navigator, Flight Lieutenant David Nicholas BAKER, struck by pilot's canopy as he ejected and was killed. According to a pair of eyewitness reports:
"I was stationed at Bruggen Feb 73 to Aug 75 on 17 squadron. Dave Baker’s ejection sequence was perfect although he was killed. The SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for ejection was 'Nav first. Pilot second' with no command ejection. As Dave initiated the sequence, Sqn Ldr George Roberts heard the first bang and pulled his ejection handle. His canopy struck Dave and he was killed instantly. Weather conditions were extremely poor and with total instrument failure and no visibility due to low cloud George had no option but to abandon the aircraft. The SOP remained the same"
"I was on 17 Sqn when Dave Baker was killed ejecting from XV397 in June 1973 (an unlucky aircraft - I'd had a multiple hydraulic failure in it and crash landed at Ahlhorn a couple of years earlier). What your other correspondent says is true but it may be of interest that the instrument failure was a very insidious one that the Board of Enquiry tried on several of us without warning in the simulator and we all did what Geoff (not George) Roberts did - entered a spiral dive and only realised when it was far too late to recover. The crash resulted in a modification of the standby attitude indicator".
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20171019205516/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Aircraft_by_Type/F-4_Phantom_RAF.htm
2. http://www.thephantomshrine.co.uk/Databases/f4-serials.txt
3. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=XV
4. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1973.htm
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Nov-2010 11:55 | ASN archive | Added |
| 16-Nov-2011 13:59 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Apr-2013 13:51 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 30-Jun-2013 23:57 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 15-Aug-2015 18:24 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 02-May-2020 13:05 | Anon. | Updated [Date, Location] |
| 26-Dec-2021 09:04 | Anon. | Updated [Date] |
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