1990 Scotland RAF Shackleton crash

RAF Shackleton crash on the Isle of Harris, Scotland March 2020 March 2020 Avro 696 Shackleton AEW2, UK - Air Force AN1599437.jpg 1.2 Avro 696 Shackleton AEW2 (WR965) Avro Shackleton WR965 Accident 1990 4 30 y Controlled flight into terrain near Tarbert, Scotland 57.8048 -7.0556 type:event inline,title Avro Shackleton Dylan UK Gambia Zero 8 WR965 RAF Lossiemouth RAF Benbecula 10 10 On 30 April 1990, a Royal Air Force (RAF) Avro Shackleton Mk II AEW aircraft, of No. 8 Squadron RAF, based at RAF Lossiemouth, crashed into a hill in the Isle of Harris whilst attempting to land at RAF Benbecula. All ten crew on board died in the crash, which included the wing commander who was in charge of No. 8 Squadron at the time. The Shackleton was the last of the fleet to be involved in a fatal accident, and the type was withdrawn from RAF service in 1991. A Board of Inquiry (BoI) later determined the accident as a controlled flight into terrain, but could not ascertain as to why. Background WR965 was introduced into RAF service in 1957, originally sent to RAF Khormaksar, and served on No.s 37, 38, 203, 204, 205 and 224 Squadrons before its conversion to an Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft in the early 1970s.ROYAL AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT AT RAF KHORMAKSAR, ADEN, 1956-1958. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205184743 Imperial War Museums 27 February 2020 en The need for an AEW platform was brought about by the retirement of the Royal Navy Fairey Gannet airframe. No. 8 Squadron RAF, started flying the Avro Shackleton aircraft in 1971.Mallinson Allan Growling over the oceans: an unsung heroine of the Cold War The Times 30 April 2011 90 0140-0460 The Shackleton itself, was a stop-gap measure that was developed from the MR2 Shackleton variant, which was developed from the original bomber type from Avro which had descended from their Lancaster and Lincoln aircraft.Taylor John W R Gallery of Western European airpower; bombers and maritime Air Force Magazine November 1988 71 11 92 The Air Force Association Arlington 0730-6784 The Nimrod AEW was to have assumed the role of the Shackleton's in the mid-1980s, but the technological problems proved "insurmountable", and so that programme was cancelled in favour of the Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft in December 1986.Witherow John Museum piece plane guards Britain's skies - AEW controversy https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=shackleton%20cold%20war%20air%20crews&docref=news/0F9258798234E364 28 February 2020 infoweb.newsbank.com 2 February 1986 subscriptionSimons Graham Comet! : the world's first jet airliner 2013 Pen & Sword Barnsley 9781781592793 280 The squadron was based at RAF Lossiemouth at the time of the crash, and all of their aircraft were named after characters in the children's TV programme, The Magic Roundabout.Ferguson Neil For the love of the Air Force: a companion 2017 Summersdale Chichester 9781786850652 108 6: The Squadrons The aircraft as a whole were collectively referred to as Growlers, on account of the engine noise, and the Old Grey ladies, due to their colour scheme.Harle Jon Magnificent men and their 'shack' flying machines https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/1579305/magnificent-men-and-their-shack-flying-machines/ 27 February 2020 Press and Journal 6 October 2018 The engines were noisy due to their contra-rotating propellers. Incident WR965, had taken off from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, at 8:00 am on 30 April 1990, with a callsign of Gambia Zero 8 and had flown 150 mi to the Outer Hebrides.Gill Kerry Crew of 10 killed as RAF Shackleton hits mountainside https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=Shackleton%20Crash%20Harris&docref=news/0F925AAFA89EAF3D 27 February 2020 infoweb.newsbank.com 1 May 1990 subscriptionRAF plane crash https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=Shackleton%20Crash%20Harris&docref=news/156D2D99F78A4AD0 27 February 2020 infoweb.newsbank.com 30 April 1990 subscription The aircraft had been partaking in a military exercise (Ex Bushfire) when the accident occurred. The radar on board the aircraft had been turned off due to the parameters of part of the exercise, which involved "mutual training" with a Tornado F3 aircraft.MAASS 1990 1 Early reports by eye-witnesses lead to accusations that a missile strike was responsible for bringing the aircraft down, something which the RAF denied.Gill Kerry RAF denies that missile hit doomed Shackleton The Times 63,695 2 May 1990 2 0140-0460 Just before 12:00, the pilot radioed ahead to RAF Benbecula to ask for an approach, stating that the aircraft was 20 mi out. Permission was given for a landing from the west and the aircraft was seen to circle at least twice by RAF personnel on the island before it crashed almost 25 miles (40 km) away into Maodal, an 800 ft on high peak near the village of Northton, (at NF998907_region:GB_scale:25000 grid reference NF998907).Harris air tragedy remembered 25 years on https://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/harris-air-tragedy-remembered-25-years-on-1-3764543 27 February 2020 The Stornoway Gazette 9 May 2015 en 26 February 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200226161333/https://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/harris-air-tragedy-remembered-25-years-on-1-3764543 dead MAASS 1990 2 The weather was described as "poor" and WR965 was said to have been flying at a low altitude,RAF remembrance service https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=shackleton%20WR965&docref=news/1357A9B9DEA82500 27 February 2020 infoweb.newsbank.com 23 April 2010 (one witness claimed that had the aircraft been 2 ft higher, then it would have cleared the peak easily).10 airmen killed as Shackleton hits hill https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11944029.10-airmen-killed-as-shackleton-hits-hill/ 27 February 2020 Herald Scotland 1 May 1990 en Despite the remote landscape, emergency services and members of the public were quickly on the scene, but the first police officer said "We came across debris and then some bodies and we knew it was really bad. Helicopters arrived from Lossiemouth and it was a very, very busy scene. We could only account for nine from the plane and some of us were sent to the back of the hill to see if someone had survived and had walked off in a daze. We were later told there was nobody alive."RAF crash on Harris commemorated https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-32530111 28 February 2020 BBC News 30 April 2015 Crew A normal operational sortie for a Shackleton in the AEW role, consisted of a crew of nine; a pilot, a co-pilot, a flight engineer and a navigator (plotter) who made up the flight deck crew, and a radar team of five. The radar team consisted of a Tactical Co-ordinator (TACO), always a commissioned officer, and a mixture of controllers and operators. The team could be drawn from any of the radar trades established on the sqn (radar navigator, air electronics officer and operator, fighter controller officer or NCO). As squadron strength reduced in preparation for the replacement of the Shackleton AEW2 by the Sentry AEW 1 (AWACS) crews frequently flew with 4 man radar teams. This was so on the day of the accident, with two station personnel also on board. The aircraft Captain was Wing Commander Stephen Roncoroni, Officer Commanding No. 8 Squadron at the time. Aftermath and inquiry thumb|Memorial on Maodal Two days later, a private notice question in the House of Commons discussed the matter with some stating that cutbacks in the number of aircraft had led to operational inefficiencies. Allan Rogers, then opposition MP for defence, stated that "It is with these cutbacks that we get such tragedies as this. It is a task which has been made extremely difficult in recent years because of cutbacks in operational Shackletons from eleven to six in this squadron."Shackleton crash 'cuts' questioned - Parliament https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=Shackleton%20Crash%20Harris&docref=news/0F925AB08FA978E3 27 February 2020 infoweb.newsbank.com 2 May 1990 subscription Three days later, ten coffins were taken across the island to be flown by RAF Hercules, from RAF Stornoway, back to the base at RAF Lossiemouth.Shackleton crash bodies flown to RAF base https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11943401.shackleton-crash-bodies-flown-to-raf-base/ 28 February 2020 Herald Scotland 3 May 1990 en More than 2,500 people lined the streets in the Isle of Harris to witness the event.Wollard Caroline Islanders pay tribute to victims of air crash The National 11 2057-231X On 31 May 1990, a memorial service was held in one of the hangars that No. 8 Squadron operated from at RAF Lossiemouth.News 25 years ago https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&page=1&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=Shackleton%20Crash%20Harris&docref=news/1557D2B7DB03AE10 27 February 2020 infoweb.newsbank.com 22 May 2015 subscription A Board of Inquiry determined that the Shackleton had its radar turned off as part of the exercise with a Tornado F3 aircraft. It radioed RAF Benbecula for an approach, stating they were 20 mi west of the airfield, however, it was determined they were actually 12 mi north of Benbecula.MAASS 1990 2Williams Simon Shackleton crash victims remembered RAF News 1,485 21 February 2020 13 0035-8614 At 11:34 am, the crew radioed Benbecula tower to inform them that the weather was too bad for an approach, and that they were turning right and climbing to try again; this was the last transmission from the aircraft before the crash. Benbecula tower asked them to relay their last message again as the transmission was distorted.MAASS 1990 2 The aircraft crashed 30 ft below the summit with all four engines "developing cruise power" (what is known as Controlled Flight Into Terrain). Meteorological evidence from the day suggests that the cloudbase extended from 200 ft above sea level to 3,000 ft for the tips of the clouds.MAASS 1990 2 The official conclusion of the board of inquiry was; ...that the accident was caused because the aircraft was flown below a safe altitude in unsuitable weather conditions; the board were unable to determine the reasons for this.MAASS 1990 3 The Shackleton fleet was due to be replaced by an upgraded Nimrod variant aircraft, but this was dropped in favour of the Sentry AWACS platform.Haddon-Cave Charles The Nimrod review : an independent review into the broader issues surrounding the loss of the RAF Nimrod MR2 aircraft XV230 in Afghanistan in 2006 : report 2009 TSO London 9780102962659 18 A memorial is located on Maodal (at NF997904_region:GB_scale:25000 grid reference NF997904) and includes the Orange Harvest ESM receiver that was affixed to the top of WR965 Dylan when it crashed as well as another memorial in the Hebrides People car park at the foot of the Maodal.Wotherspoon Nick Clark Alan Sheldon Mark Aircraft wrecks : the walker's guide : historic crash sites on the moors and mountains of the British Isles 2009 Pen and Sword Aviation Barnsley 978-1-84415-9109 270 The crew are remembered on Panel 201 of the Armed Forces Memorial, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.The Shackleton Association - Register https://www.thegrowler.org.uk/register.htm www.thegrowler.org.uk 27 February 2020 en Aircraft losses Besides the Shackleton crash, two other RAF aircraft crashed on the same day, though without fatalities. A Tornado GR1 (ZA454) crashed at Goose Bay in Canada after an engine fire, and a Phantom FGR2 (XV402) suffered a damaged wheel and fire on the underside of the aircraft on landing at RAF Valley.House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 23 Oct 2000 (pt 6) https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmhansrd/vo001023/text/01023w06.htm publications.parliament.uk 28 February 2020Ranter Harro Incident McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 XV402, 30 Apr 1990 https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/82635 aviation-safety.net 28 February 2020Ranter Harro Incident Panavia Tornado GR1 ZA454, 30 Apr 1990 https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/55439 aviation-safety.net 28 February 2020 References Sources Military Aircraft Accident Summary Shackleton AEW MK2 WR965 ukserials.com Ministry of Defence 1990 http://www.ukserials.com/pdflosses/maas_19900430_wr965.pdf 28 February 2020 CITEREFMAASS1990 External links Board of Inquiry summary report The Shackleton Association website https://www.flickr.com/photos/paul-thallon/12170983843 Paul Thallon 16 April 1984 Flickr Close-up photograph of the Orange Harvest ESM 'spark plug' on WR965 Category:1990 in Scotland Category:1990 disasters in the United Kingdom Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Scotland Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1990 Category:Avro Shackleton Category:Accidents and incidents involving Royal Air Force aircraft Category:Fatal accident inquiries Category:Outer Hebrides Category:April 1990 in the United Kingdom