German aircraft crashing photo: real?

[stona]

I hadn't seen your post when I replied but am more than happy to confirm it!
It's a great photo and I understand why some would think it has been faked. The cause of the crash was a flash fire in the engine bay which weakened the tailplane actuator leading to failiure. I imagine at just a few seconds from landing George was very lucky to survive this one. I've got a note of the photographer's name at home and will look it up when I get back. Apparently George shouldn't even have been flying that day!
Steve

 

[Airframes]

I remember him telling me that! He was standing in, and should have been going on holiday I believe! I might still have copies of the series of prints, showing the aircraft with George ejecting, the hole in the ground, the parachute in the greenhouse, and George in hospital. I'll have a look and post them if they have survived - unfortunately, I lost a lot of prints, negs and transparencies in a fire about 16 or 17 years ago.

 

[timshatz]

Pretty wild shot.

 

[Njaco]

It's a Gremlin!

Sounds like a "Twilight Zone" episode with William Shatner!


I was about to comment that the pic with the tractor looked photoshopped from a crash at an airshow awile back but if Terry and stona comfirmed....damn, talk about being where the action is!

 

[HerrKaleut]

Could be battle damage to wing leading edge. It appears to be rolling left with left aileron down( and right appears to be up), which is very wrong unless aerodynamics are shot due to leading edge damage. Hmmm,...probably faked but wouldn't bet my pension on it.
I can back up the ejection photo, I remember it being on the front page of the Daily Mirror at the time.(back in my youth you know...where are my teeth.)

 

[drgondog]

at least the aileron position is correct for trying to roll the ship right. If he was flying low and slow when he lost his left engine he could have easily rolled it left before reacting.

looks like a Hs 129 from that angle - not a Ju 88

 

[Milosh]

at least the aileron position is correct for trying to roll the ship right. If he was flying low and slow when he lost his left engine he could have easily rolled it left before reacting.

looks like a Hs 129 from that angle - not a Ju 88

The Hs129 has a low mounted wing.

 

[drgondog]

The Hs129 has a low mounted wing.

very true Milosh, that bothered me but the cockpit roof appears flush with top of fuselage which is not 'ju88 like'.

 

[Matt308]

I vote fake.

 

[drgondog]

Matt - I am inclined to agree..

 

[seesul]

BTW, the picture of the pilot ejecting from the vertical Lightning is not a fake! It was a chance in a million pic, caught as the aircraft was on finals after a test flight from the factory. Suffering a total shut-down of all systems, the aircraft went nose down, and the pilot, George Aird, ejected, landing in a greenhouse of a gardening small holding. When I worked for a multi-national photographic company, I had copies of the original print, and some of the parachute harness and canopy lying in the greenhouse. At that time, George was the pilot of the BAe owned Mosquito (since lost in a fatal crash at Barton, Manchester), and I showed him the copies of the prints, and asked him about his experience. He confirmed that the photo was genuine (which we knew at the Big Yellow Box from analysis), and that is him punching out, when he swung once under a full canopy, before plunging through the roof of the greenhouse.

Wow!