ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 82611
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| Date: | Friday 11 October 1974 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2 |
| Owner/operator: | 31 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | XV431 |
| MSN: | 3140 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | RAF Brüggen, Nordrhein-Westfalen -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Bruggen, Germany |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Crashed on take-off from RAF Bruggen, West Germany, when the outer wings folded after they had been left unlocked. Both crew - F/Lt Ray Pilley (pilot) RAF and F/Lt Kevin Toal (navigator) RAF - ejected safely.
Per eyewitness report from Flight Lieutenant Ray Pilley (pilot):
"The Loss of XV431 - An Accident Waiting to Happen
If ever there was an accident waiting to happen it was this one. Having bought the Phantom as a stop gap measure the Brits managed to double the price and make it go slower. Principally this feat was achieved by cramming into the fuselage the Rolls Royce Spey engine.
One other way was to make the wings fold manually so there existed a situation where the wings were down but needed locking by an engineer with a brace and socket. A really nice added touch was to remove the wing pin warning lights in the cockpit so that not only could the wings be down and unlocked but there was nothing to warn a pilot as he lined up for take off.
All the warning lights were out.! In the case of XV 431 the tiny wing spigots had been over sprayed green which blended in perfectly with the camouflaged wing.
The ejection was interesting. The aircraft became airborne but immediately pitched to the vertical and I was sure it was going over on its back. Full forward pressure on the stick did nothing and at about a hundred feet rolling slightly to port I ordered my navigator to eject.
In the event I left the aircraft about 0.6 of a second ahead of him which, in the event, saved both our lives.
In those days there were no explosive bolts on the canopies and the seat would not fire until the canopy interlock had been removed. My canopy went over Kevin's canopy just as his was leaving, and I passed over Kevin just as he was rising up the rails.
My rocket motor lit at the advertised 6 feet and lightly toasted Kevin. No time to lower the personal survival pack and without a full parachute we both hit the ground very hard just as XV431 blew up 100 feet from the QRA pen housing 4 nuclear loaded F-4's.
Shortly afterwards the canopies were fitted with explosive bolts and the operating procedure in a time critical situation was changed so that the pilot left without warning, save for a loud bang, which would catch the attention of the most docile navigator.
Alas nothing was done about those little old warning lights and eight years later only the sharp eyes of a caravan controller saved yet another one of Her Majesty"s precious Phantoms."
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20160326123820/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/aircraft_by_type/RAF_Phantom/pilley_ray.htm
2. http://thephantomshrine.co.uk/Databases/f4-serials.txt
3. http://s362974870.onlinehome.us/forums/air/index.php?s=efd753d22bf8212ecef41ea2681009b4&showtopic=185314&view=findpost&p=1729192
4. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1974.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Nov-2010 11:55 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Nov-2011 07:00 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Apr-2013 14:02 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Location] |
| 02-Jul-2013 13:39 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
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