Red Arrows invloved in mid air collision

[FsNovice]

just read the bbc website and read that two red arrows planes invloved in manovoures training over Lincolnshire touched nose cone to tip. An investigation concluded it was pilot error. Luckily noone was injured, saved the impecable record of the Red Arrows display team


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/linc ... 256827.stm

[Hagar]

Luckily noone was injured, saved the impecable record of the Red Arrows display team


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/linc ... 256827.stm

Lucky. The Reds have had accidents during training in the past & I'm pretty sure one was fatal. Charlie will probably be able to fill in the details.

Since 1979, some twenty red-painted airframes have served with the team, together with others drawn from the fleet that have not been painted but used for training. Latest to join is XX156, the third production airframe, so ironically the oldest Hawk amongst the team. Eight have been lost in incidents, but only two have occurred during a public display.

A Red Arrows Hawk collided with a yacht mast during a display over Brighton seafront in May 1980. The yacht shouldn't have been there. Fortunately the pilot ejected safely & nobody else was hurt. They have never displayed at Brighton since. Rare photo here. http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/PROJECT/Biographies/J/Johnson_S-red-arrows/Johnson_S.htm

[C]

Thankfully the Red Arrow's accident record has been good. This one was obviously very minor - you wonder when it was if an investigation has already been concluded!

There have been two fatal Red Arrow's accidents, a Gnat in 1979 at Kemble and a Hawk in 1984 at Akrotiri, both in training. Certainly nearly all their accidents have been in training, and the high profile display one suffered by Steve Johnson in 1980 was entirely the boat's fault (it should not have been there), and coincidentally the other one was over the sea too at Sidmouth due to engine failure, and the pilot was able fly out to sea and eject in safety. In all there have been 10 involving ejection (6 or 7 of which were technical failures), and one two that haven't (Due to birdstrikes etc).

The unliuckiest one would have to be the Gnats XR992 and XR995, who according to Doug's link got confused when one of them was told his engine was on fire - they both ejected!

Pretty safe to me, considering the fatal accident and maybe one other are the only ones that could be attributed directly to pilot error, and none of those have been anywhere near the public.

[ozzy72]

Eeeeek

[C]

Eeeeek

Naaaah, just a flesh wound...

[Craig.]

i'm surprised these sort of bumps dont happen more often, the fact this was just a "minor incident" shows these guys have got it all under control up there.

[C]

i'm surprised these sort of bumps dont happen more often, the fact this was just a "minor incident" shows these guys have got it all under control up there.

As far as internally I imagine this was actually quite a major happening - imagine the issues of trust, essential to a successful formation) if one pilot has an incident like this - and it's down to the training system throughout the RAF, starting with formation in the Bulldog (back in the day) and now the Tutor, Tincan and Hawk that these events are extremely rare, and in this case have a successful outcome. You have a very valid point there though - they have it under control...