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Mid-air collision at Duxford- Mustang lost/ Skyraider damaged!
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Coors9
Senior Airman
WOW, Brought tears to my eyes.
Readie
Chief Master Sergeant
Another classic US warbird gone...
Such a shame.
All I can think to say is that it could have been worse...someone may have died.
I very sorry for the fans of the P51,
John
Such a shame.
All I can think to say is that it could have been worse...someone may have died.
I very sorry for the fans of the P51,
John
The Basket
Senior Master Sergeant
- 3,712
- Jun 27, 2007
That Skyraider must be well built to survive that.
Looks like all 3 aircraft were doing hard left breaks but the first Mustang didnt go in hard enough so the Skyraider which was going in hit it.
Looks like all 3 aircraft were doing hard left breaks but the first Mustang didnt go in hard enough so the Skyraider which was going in hit it.
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
Hey folks; a few clarifications and opinions…
US experimental aircraft can have live ejection seats but depending where you're operating and what FSDO you're dealing with will determine if you're going to cost effectively operate your aircraft. To be honest, I would not punch out of an aircraft with a 30-year old seat. Ejection seats (unless they are the most modern, installed on the most modern aircraft) are not the great saviors they are thought to be and sometimes cause more fatalities than they save, especially if we're talking civilian war birds. There have been very few civilian operators survive an ejection in a stock seat and its quite expensive to put a seat in a WW2 war bird or to mod a jet war bird with a modern hot seat. Personally I wound not punch out of any hot-seat airplane unless I saw the wings coming off or if I was flying in an F-15.
US experimental aircraft can have live ejection seats but depending where you're operating and what FSDO you're dealing with will determine if you're going to cost effectively operate your aircraft. To be honest, I would not punch out of an aircraft with a 30-year old seat. Ejection seats (unless they are the most modern, installed on the most modern aircraft) are not the great saviors they are thought to be and sometimes cause more fatalities than they save, especially if we're talking civilian war birds. There have been very few civilian operators survive an ejection in a stock seat and its quite expensive to put a seat in a WW2 war bird or to mod a jet war bird with a modern hot seat. Personally I wound not punch out of any hot-seat airplane unless I saw the wings coming off or if I was flying in an F-15.
I can remember several ejection seat fatalities when I was in the USAF in the late 60's. Mostly ground crew riding seats that weren't safetied after flight.
One poor guy at Seymour Johnson AFB went right thru the hanger roof.
I was Lowry AFB in Colorado in 65-66, they had a ejection seat trainer there for the cadets at the academy. It would shorten them by approximately 1 inch for a few days, because it compressed the vertabrae in their spine. Ejection seats are a rough ride, but look at the alternative.
One poor guy at Seymour Johnson AFB went right thru the hanger roof.
I was Lowry AFB in Colorado in 65-66, they had a ejection seat trainer there for the cadets at the academy. It would shorten them by approximately 1 inch for a few days, because it compressed the vertabrae in their spine. Ejection seats are a rough ride, but look at the alternative.
Damn! Those videos are scary, that was pretty close. Just glad that both pilots got down to earth safely.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
BBD did not have an ejection seat, but the pilot had fantastic reactions to jettison the canopy, undo the seat harness and push out in time. And he got stable before opening the parachute canopy !
evangilder
"Shooter"
I was thinking if anyone would know, it would be you, Joe. I don't recall seeing any aircraft in the civilian world that had hot seats. Not that there aren't any, I have always seen them with the charges out.
Gixxerman
Senior Airman
What a shame, BBD was one of my fav Mustangs and always worth a look at Duxford when I lived in that part of the world.
It looks like there wasn't much of a fire at the crash site (if any) so perhaps if nothing else BBD can be scavenged to help another P51 make it to ground display (....or better?).
Terrible when rare planes die like this, Duxford has seen it's fair share of this too, the disastrous Blenhiem crash springs to mind.
Tragic stuff.
It looks like there wasn't much of a fire at the crash site (if any) so perhaps if nothing else BBD can be scavenged to help another P51 make it to ground display (....or better?).
Terrible when rare planes die like this, Duxford has seen it's fair share of this too, the disastrous Blenhiem crash springs to mind.
Tragic stuff.
Crimea_River
Marshal
You know, looking at the vids, the 3-ship formation was quite a way further down the field than the other formations before BBD broke away. It didn't look as if the break was timed as well as the others.
beaupower32
Tech Sergeant
Thanks Njaco, I see the thread now. Its a shame to lose another Warbird.
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Njaco
The Pop-Tart Whisperer
Beau, sorry but we have a thread already. Gonna merge with this thread with it.
icepac
Airman
Nice to see no bad injuries.
He was out of that mustang so fast I wonder if he wasn't already on his way out when they collided.
From the videos of the earlier fly-bys and break turns, the mustang is the only one that suddenly stopped turning midway through the turn as well as descending before they collided.
He was still banked but no longer climbing or turning.
I wonder if he had a failure of the plane before they collided.
He was out of that mustang so fast I wonder if he wasn't already on his way out when they collided.
From the videos of the earlier fly-bys and break turns, the mustang is the only one that suddenly stopped turning midway through the turn as well as descending before they collided.
He was still banked but no longer climbing or turning.
I wonder if he had a failure of the plane before they collided.
seesul
Senior Master Sergeant
Thank you Eric and Joe! Now it´s more clear. Now knowing that there was no ejection seat in that Mustang it seems like the machine had some troubles before the collisoin yet...as I´m wondering that he was able to leave the plane so fast. Just my thought...
seesul
Senior Master Sergeant
That´s also my opinion. Let´s wait for the result of the investigation.
Mustang nut
Banned
- 200
- Jun 14, 2011
Here is the accident from another angle
Video: US Fighter planes collide during Duxford air display - Telegraph
interesting how it looks slightly different
Video: US Fighter planes collide during Duxford air display - Telegraph
interesting how it looks slightly different
Njaco
The Pop-Tart Whisperer
Thats my thought, too, based on those vids.
B-17engineer
Colonel
I thought people reported things flying off the 51's wing?
Mustang nut
Banned
- 200
- Jun 14, 2011
From the second video it looks like the P51 struck the skyraider which was trying to get out of the way.
