Aeroplane Monthly 1983-11
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Personal album
The incident depicted in the four photographs involved a Buccaneer S1 of 800 Sqn FAA which had a flame-out after missing the arrester wire. Everything went quiet as the pilot started to go round again. Seconds before hitting the water both occupants ejected - see first picture in the sequence. An attendant Wessex picked the crew out of the water and delivered them safely onto Eagle’s deck. The observer suffered slight injury to his back but many Eagle personnel lost a lot of personal kit which had been stowed in the bomb bay of the Buccaneer. The squadron was returning to Eagle after being ashore at Changi.
One of the Buccaneer crew members, flat out two feet above the deck and, apparently, enjoying every minute of it.
The two photographs were taken on HMS Eagle on June 15,1966. Sea Vixen FAW.2 XS584 of No 899 Sq FAA could not lower its starboard main wheel. The barrier, which could be rigged in two minutes flat, was put up and the Sea Vixen landed safely, demolishing the barrier in the process. Though the crew escaped injury they were both killed in a later accident.
The sequence of nine cine frames above shows a chilling incident involving a 849D Flt Gannet piloted by a Lt Jackson. The aircraft is seen going overboard off the port forward catapult on Eagle. The Gannet crew stayed in the aircraft until the carrier had passed over them. All three escaped and were picked up, none the worse except for minor injuries.