Royal Air Force - RAF

On the night of 11 June 1999, RAF Hercules XV298 was tasked to collect personnel and equipment from Kukes airstrip, Albania. The aircraft flew from Italy and landed on the unlit airstrip using normal Night Vision Goggle (NVG) procedures. The crew had been briefed that there would be sufficient runway remaining from the pickup point to the end of the airstrip. The crew were unable to see the end of the airstrip as artificial lighting in the near distance interfered with their night vision goggles. After loading personnel and equipment it began its takeoff run along the remaining available runway, but soon hit a fence and several other ground obstacles. XV298 slowed then veered to the right, suffering severe damage to its right wing before stopping. Fuel leakage from the damaged wing ignited and the subsequent fire destroyed much of the aircraft.

The Nimrod display aircraft and crew had deployed to Canada on 23 August 1995 for displays at Canadian Forces Base Shearwater and the Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) at Toronto. In excellent weather, with a light on-shore wind, the aircraft took off on time for its display. Upon completion of the safety checks, it ran in for the standard Nimrod display sequence which features two orbits and two dumb-bell turns. The latter manoeuvres each involved a turn away from the display line, a climb to not above 1,000 feet, followed by a turn in the opposite direction and descent, to fly back parallel with the display line. Having completed the two orbits, the first dumb-bell turn was completed uneventfully. After a slow flypast with undercarriage down, the aircraft entered its final manoeuvre, the second dumb-bell turn. It was seen to turn away approximately 75° to starboard under full power before the flaps were retracted to 20° and the undercarriage raised. The nose was then pitched up into a climbing attitude of 24°. As the aircraft passed 950 feet, engine power was reduced to almost flight idle, following which the speed reduced rapidly to 122 knots, below the 150 knots recommended and taught for that stage of the display. The aircraft was rolled to 70° of port bank, shortly afterwards reducing to 45°, and the nose lowered to 5° below the horizon. During this turn the airspeed increased slightly and the G-loading increased to 1 .6 G. However, the combination of the low airspeed and the G-loading led the aircraft to stall, whereupon the port wing dropped to 85° of bank and the nose dropped to 18° below the horizon. Full starboard aileron and full engine power were applied in an attempt to recover the aircraft but, by this stage, there was insufficient height to recover and the aircraft hit the water. All seven crew members were killed.

The aircraft was one of three Nimrod reconnaissance variants and had just undergone a major servicing at the Nimrod Major Servicing Unit (NMSU), RAF Kinloss by RAF maintenance personnel. Nimrod XW666 departed on a routine post-servicing airtest. After approximately 35 minutes of flight, following a test of the aircraft's anti-icing system, the No 4 engine fire warning illuminated. Whilst the crew were carrying out the fire drill, the No 3 engine fire warning also illuminated. A rear crew member confirmed that the aircraft was on fire and advised the captain that panels were falling away from the starboard wing. After two explosions, the captain feared for the structural integrity of the aircraft and decided to ditch before he lost control authority. Without the aid of flaps, which failed to operate because of a fire/associated hydraulic failure, he completed a controlled ditching into the Moray Firth. The aircraft bounced twice onto the sea before settling. The fuselage broke into two and the aircraft subsequently sank. Parts were salvaged and the cockpit section is now on display at AeroVenture South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum in Doncaster.

The aircraft with the call sign 'Star trek 3' was one of three Hercules aircraft from 70th Squadron, RAF Lyneham, engaged in formation and low-level navigation training over Scotland. Having completed the formation element of the sortie, the three aircraft separated for individual exercises, which, for the crew of XV193, included a simulated drop of a small cargo pack onto a dummy drop zone in a valley, (Glen Tilt) eight miles north of Pitlochry. Having completed the simulated drop exercises and turned north to begin their egress from the drop zone, a rocky outcrop forced the crew to continue the left turn. After avoiding this obstacle, the crew elected to reverse their turn to enter the narrow valley of Glen Loch and regain the original route. In performing this
manoeuvre, at low-level and low-speed, the aircraft stalled and crashed crashed forcefully into the moorland in Glen Loch (East of Glen Tilt) near Loch Loch. All nine crew members were killed.
Crew (70th Squadron from RAF Lyneham):
S/L Graham Paul Young,
S/L Stanley Duncan Muir,
F/Lt Graham Robert John Southard,
F/Lt Stephen Paul McNally,
F/O Jonathan Huw Owen,
M/A Terence John William Gilmore,
Sgt Craig Thomas Hilliard,
Sgt Alan Keith King,
Lt/Cpl Gary Reginald Manning.

On the morning of 30 April 1990, the crew of Shackleton AEW2 WR965 took off from RAF Lossiemouth to participate in a maritime exercise in the Benbecula area to the west of mainland Scotland. The exercise was to be in two parts with a time interval between. To make most economical use of the Shackleton's flying time it was intended to utilise the time interval to undertake some continuation training for which the crew had appropriate authorisation. Although the weather was forecast to be generally clear in the aircraft's operating area there were areas of low cloud and poor visibility over Scottish coastal areas. The first part of the sortie was completed without incident and at 09:45 UTC the crew took the opportunity to participate with a Tornado F3 in mutual training which required the Shackleton's radar to be set to standby/off. After completing this training, the crew commenced their own continuation training which was to include a visual approach to Benbecula airfield. The crew contacted Benbecula Air Traffic Control (ATC) at 10:25 UTC requesting permission for an approach, stating that they were about 20 miles west of the airfield; permission was given and Benbecula ATC passed their actual weather to the crew. Subsequent investigation determined, however, that the aircraft was actually 15 miles north of the position which it had reported at this time. At 10:30 two RAF personnel saw the Shackleton orbiting an island some 12 miles to the north of Benbecula airfield, and at 10:34 the Shackleton crew called Benbecula ATC stating that the weather was not sufficiently good for an approach and that they were turning right and climbing. At around 10:37 it struck the ground about 30 ft below the summit of an 823 ft hill on the Isle of Harris. Reliable evidence indicates that at that time and in that vicinity the cloudbase was 200 ft above mean sea level, with cloud tops at 3000 ft. At impact, the aircraft was in controlled flight with all four engines developing cruise power.
Crew (28th Squadron):
W/Cdr Stephen Roncoroni,
W/Cdr Chas Wrighton,
F/O Colin Burns,
S/L Jerry Lane,
F/Lt Al Campbell,
F/Lt Keith Forbes,
M/O Roger Scutt,
F/Sgt Rick Ricketts,
Sgt Graham Miller,
Cpl Stuart Bolton.

Upon landing at RAF West Freugh, the right main gear collapsed. The airplane slid on its belly and eventually came to rest on a grassy area to the right of the runway. All 11 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It was completing a flight on behalf of the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment.

The Nimrod aircraft took off on an exercise Search and Rescue (SAR) sortie from its base at RAF St Mawgan. It was carrying in the bomb bay, as part of the SAR equipment, a normal load of 5 inch reconnaissance flares. In accordance with normal practice, the first navigator switched the flare's release units to live shortly after takeoff. Some 30 seconds later a cockpit indicator warned the crew of a fire in the bomb bay. The captain immediately instructed the co-pilot to fly the aircraft back to base while he transmitted a MAYDAY call and informed the rest of the crew. During the return flight ground witnesses saw the Nimrod trailing smoke, with several burning flares, a parachute and other objects falling from the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely. Although the fire services quickly extinguished the intense fire, the aircraft was extensively damaged.

Just before 07:30 a crew took off in semi-darkness on the final sortie of their conversion from the Nimrod 1 to the Nimrod MR2 aircraft. Being the final sortie, the normal crew was increased to 20 by 5 checking crew and an additional Air Engineer. The surface wind was 070 degrees at 02 kts, with 8 km visibility in rain and a main cloud base of 3000 ft. Engine response and indications during the takeoff run were normal, but shortly after takeoff, at an estimated height of 20 ft, the aircraft flew through a dense flock of Canada Geese flying in arrowhead formation between overnight roosting and daily feeding grounds. It suffered numerous bird-strikes. Almost simultaneously the no.1 engine surged violently, suffering a catastrophic internal failure. The low pressure compressors on the nos 2 and 3 engines were also damaged and, although they continued to run, they produced little thrust. Effectively the fully laden aircraft was being powered by only the No 4 engine which itself may have been damaged. Some 27 seconds after takeoff the aircraft came down on the relatively soft tree-tops of a forest of young pine trees 1300 yards from the end of the runway and was quickly engulfed in flames.
Source: ASN

The crew was completing a local training mission at RAF Boscombe Down. On final approach with one engine voluntarily inoperative, the airplane banked left and right, causing a wing to drop and to struck a building. Out of control, the airplane lost height and crashed. A crew member was injured while two other occupants were killed, among them an officer from the Italian Army.

The crew was completing a local training flight at RAF Little Rissington. After takeoff, while climbing to a height of 400 feet, both engines stopped simultaneously. The crew declared an emergency and the airplane stalled and struck the ground. On impact, the undercarriage were torn off and the airplane slid for several yards before coming to rest in a pasture. Both crew members escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.