The Shocking 1982 RAF Phantom vs. Jaguar Incident. Cold War Chaos in the Skies!

[@maciek_k.cichon]

I love when an accurate machine is shown when talked about, not just a random stock footage. And these few freeze-frames just made it feel a period piece documentary. Good show!

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@richa8308]

You missed the F4J's then (not the aircraft in question and not purchased until long after the event) and the grey colour scheme which again was not introduced until long after the incident. Equally, the continual footage of jaguars flying through hilly terrain was hardly representative of the northern West German plains. Sorry to burst your bubble.

[@maciek_k.cichon]

@@richa8308 No need for apologies, the bubble is still inflated and happy. I'm happy i'm seeing appropriate type when spoken of, the rest is suspension of disbelief. Not like in Dark Docs series videos, when there's talk about WW1 airplanes, usually we get Fairey IIIF or Stearmans, and so on. It would be nice to see your level of detail in yt documentaries, and probably someday we will, with the digitization projects on hand. At least when Western aircraft are on the table.

[@majormanfredrex]

Kudos to this KZbinr for doing better than the Yanks by using footage of aircraft from the correct century let alone the correct manufacturer and even the correct manufacturer.

[@majormanfredrex]

Oops. I meant to say correct air force, not repeat manufacturer.

[@BeachTypeZaku]

I loves me some F4 Phantom! Its visually appealing. No matter what angle you view it from, it catches the eye. My dad was the head of the afterburner shop in Rammstein, Germany in the early-mid 70s and this was the #1 plane they serviced. It's probably the most iconic cold war American plane. He ran a tight shop though when my mom asked him what he did, he said he mostly spent his time in the latrine doing crossword puzzles.😂

[@smitbar11]

Greece and Turkey are still flying them

[@Ttelmis]

My claim to fame is that I was the Combat Operations Officer who scrambled the pair of F4s on that mission.

[@paulreilly3904]

Great to know. Thank you for your service

[@dukecraig2402]

Wasn't it great spending money like that? When I was 19 years old in the Army I just couldn't believe that they put me in charge of a 1.5 million dollar weapon that spit out $13 twenty millimeter rounds at 3,000 per minute. Where else can a teenager have that kind of expensive fun?

[@bepolite6961]

My claim to fame is I was In the SSA at LAARBRUCH when the call came in from the German Civilian Police about the "crash" as the closest unit we provided the initial response to the "crash site" until your lads relieved us.

[@Geoff-n1d]

Ahhh so your the one that cost the taxpayers millions of pounds

[@Whitpusmc]

I was in High School in the USA, I think I’m clean on THIS mistake…

[@nikshmenga]

A Farmer's daughter - a most welcome sight under any condition.

[@royfearn4345]

And the brandy - don't forget the brandy (hic!)

[@johncollins5178]

She was only the farmers daughter, but she couldn't keep her calves together!

[@waynemongo]

😮

[@johncollins5178]

@@bfc3057 Or the Morse code operators daughter, but she diddit, diddit, diddit!

[@stu176mmm]

One very lucky Jaguar pilot.

[@HollyandSandy]

I was one of the guys sent to guard this actual crash site. What it doesn't mention is, there were a lot of overhead power cables in the area, and the parachuting pilot miraculously missed all of them. Apart from the back injury he sustained during the ejection process (which is fairly normal), he made a full recovery. The farmer who's field the Jaguar crashed in, was more than financially reimbursed for his loss of potential earnings and the clear up operation.

[@bepolite6961]

I was in the control room of the SSA at LAARBRUCH the morning the call came in from the GCP informing us of the crash. "Bruce" FORSYTH one of our German speakers took the call informing the BOSS of the incident and its location.. Half our flight was taken off the site and all off stood down RAFP in the blocks were called in and despatched to the crash site to set up the initial cordon. Later that night the BOSS put a barrel on in the club for the rest of us who covered normal duties, basically on posts for with no reliefs. I remember the four tonners pulling up outside the club and disgorging about thirty dusty and and very dry airmen. When they told us what happened, no one would believe them, we honestly thought they were taking the piss!!! One of the more memorable events during my service.

[@grahamcook9289]

Why is that miraculous? Birds sit on HV lines all the time. As long as no part of the pilot or his parachute touched an earth he would have been ok just dangling there. That's the way electricity works mate. Doh!

[@HansDeRover83]

@@grahamcook9289 Well.. that's not quite how it works.. if he (or his material) touches more then one cable he's fried.. which is very likely to happen if you drop on powerlines in a parachute....

[@TzunSu]

@@grahamcook9289 You realize hitting powerlines and then falling down from them is unhealthy, right? Electrified or not.

[@claywebb8199]

@@grahamcook9289- you’ve just got to be an Aussie right? 😂

[@MisterIvyMike]

As that happened I was 15 years old and very hardly addicted in watching fighter jets. I live 50km west of Grafenwöhr in southern Germany and at that time we had a few jet traffic every day, so between 4 or 6 jets on bad days and 20 on better days at 450ft. (But that was nothing like the situation at our nearby low flying area at the Hesselberg 😍, where on normal days 50-80 jets where common at 200ft and at excercisses 200 or more!) We where so many days on the hills to watch them, at the Hesselberg often below us. But in the late 80ies everything changed. After the Ramstein accident and the german reunion the gouvernement decided that we need no low level sorties anymore. And nowadays? This year I have seen in six months 2 F-16 at high altitude coming from Grafenwöhr and thats it. The years before I had years without a single jet. Not a single one, neither high or at low level, meaning 1000ft. Oh man, I miss these old days... 😔

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Things certainly have changed over the past 30 or 40 years. I served 1991 to 2000 in RAF and a lot has changed even since then. Thanks for sharing your memories.

[@bananenkranz3436]

One of my earliest memories is looking up at two Panavia Tornado's flying at what must have been 1000 ft around 2003/4 in southern Germany. It took me until 2019 to relive this experince, when driving on a Country road, where after hearing a rumble, I looked up in time to see a single Tornado fly low enough to make out the markings on the wings. At the next exit I had to stop an let out my excitement. That happend about 40 km from Ramstein Airbase, so it's normal for me to see Military Aircraft.

[@deltavee2]

Funny, for no reason at all the word SEPECAT entered my mind yesterday. Just the word, came and went right away. Haven't even thought of the word for literally decades and here today I randomly come across a video with SEPECAT Jaguars in it *!* Interesting universe we live in.... I'm an R.C.A.F. brat born and raised 22 yrs. and I knew of SEPECAT but as I said, haven't thought of it in decades. For the curious: "SEPECAT (French: Société Européenne de Production de l'avion Ecole de Combat et d'Appui Tactique) was an Anglo-French aircraft manufacturer. " It was set up specifically for the Jaguar, an attack and training aircraft. Started in 1966 about four years after we left four years in Paris at S.H.A.P.E. H.Q. for a radar base North of Toronto. Culture shock is real.

[@johnp8131]

Not long arrived from Scampton and only been in the role bay at Brüggen for few weeks. This was in the days when armourers serviced pylons. I think it was late morning on a Thursday or Friday? A Sgt from one of the other bays grabbed me and off we went to Wesel to try and disarm it! Steve Griggs and the farmer were very lucky. Most of the aircraft came down in an empty field between a power station, the farm buildings and an autobahn. The back end, that was cut off, dropped into the river Lippe, I think, as they couldn't find it at the time? Don't know where Steve landed but his seat came down in a copse about a quarter of a mile away. Steve came back to the Armoury at Brüggen a few months later with some more beer and a tape recording of his 2nd ejection over Scotland. I believe it was taken by a USAF F111 during the exercise?

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Thanks for sharing that John.

[@smitbar11]

The Jaguar and Buccaneers both served above expectations in the Gulf War

[@chrisaskin6144]

Ahh sweet memories! This incident happened a few months after I'd left Brüggen, I was on 20 Sqn Jaguars as an armourer from Feb 79 to Aug 81, and before that Apr 75 to Oct 77 in the Station Armoury - also at Brüggen. Two of the best times in the RAF.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Sadly, I never got the chance to see RAF Germany, My only squadron posting was 43(f) between 92 and 96. I knew loads of guys though who had many tales, including this one, of RAF G.

[@chrisaskin6144]

@@TheNorthernHistorian My first posting after a two year apprenticeship at Halton was Leuchars, home of 43 Sqn Phantoms and 23 Sqn Lightnings and also the land base of 892 Sqn Fleet Air Arm when they weren't on the Ark Royal.

[@johnp8131]

@@chrisaskin6144 Didn't realise the FAA were there too but it makes sense. We had the same at Honnington in the mid to late 70's with 809 Sqn Buccaneers. Worked with "Wafu's" a few times as I did two tours at Wyton as well and 360 Sqn were 25 to 30% Navy as they were used to jam naval radar. Good lads and excellent detachments.

[@glenngiles7307]

Hi Chris, my dad was at Bruggen and Gut around that time, he was same trade as you, Dave Giles

[@chrisaskin6144]

@@glenngiles7307 I can't say for certain whether I knew him or met him, but the name seems familiar to me.

[@philipaudsley9335]

The Phantom jockey was down South in 1986 and attended the AAC happy hour at Lookout Camp. All was well until The Music Man started up, and a chorus of “ooh ooh my missiles gone” rang around the bar. Stunned silence from those wearing their gro-bags 🤣

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

oh dear....awkward!

[@gazza2933]

Yes indeed. Thank goodness Mr Martin and Mr Baker got it right. Interesting video. 👍

[@fryertuck6496]

Baker was killed in 1942, his partner Martin then developed the ejection seat.

[@david_uk]

Fascinating story well told. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@iainmalcolm9583]

As no one was seriously injured, I guess this falls into the 'funny' category. Ejecting from 1 aircraft might be thought of as unfortunate, but ejecting from 2 seems careless.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

It certainly was a little unfortunate

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

The chap has two (MB) ties. Not many people can claim that. ;)

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

No serious injury but how much did a Jaguar cost? 😢

[@kennethskuse4710]

Thanks for a fine video with unusually outstanding photography. The picture of the live firing of the rocket powered ejection seat deserves an oscar. I doubt it will ever be equaled let alone surpassed. RAF, best in the world.

[@VincentComet-l8e]

Two ejections, not far apart. Don't think his vertebrae would have exactly appreciated that...

[@paullacey2999]

I dont know what was worse,being blasted out your wrecked plane or being the other lad who let off the missile from his aircraft.Scary stuff!

[@DavidTaylor-qc4om]

I was working in the Combat Operations Centre at Bruggen when that happened

[@bepolite6961]

I was on the Bridge of the SSA at LAARBRUCH when the call came in from the GCP. As the closest unit we initially responded, cordoned off and guarded the crash site until your lads from BRUGGEN relieved us. Bloody long hot dusty day, boss put a barrel on in our club for us.

[@DavidTaylor-qc4om]

@@bepolite6961 I remember the confusion because nobody could believe the report that a Phantom had shot down a Jag. It just made no sensenat first. I was still at Bruggen when the same guy ejected over the airfield after a mid-air. The other pilot was killed, unfortunately.

[@bobbralee1019]

I'm a former Phantom Armourer and I know the guy who taped up the white cross over the Master Arm switch, I know this guy and I'll tell you he says it was taped up. Even if it wasn't the pilot should have Noticed on his pre flight check. This is 100% Aircrew error and doesn't surprise me they are trying to deflect the blame elsewhere.

[@cyclesgoff9768]

I agree. Lawrence was sent back to Conningsby to the OCU and very quickly eased out after a few months. I don’t know what happened to the Nav. TAcIVal or not, air raid drill in the shed. They were both guilty as hell.

[@Meadowsec]

Agreed completely both crew tried to avert responsibility by no tape and dodgy circuit breakers excuse. They completely fucked up!

[@AgentPepsi1]

I need to ask my father about this incident. He too was a Phantom driver at the time, but flying for the USAF out of Ramstein.

[@BOLLOX64]

I was posted to 92 shortly after that. In the Liney’s crewroom, we had the damaged nose UC door from the jag, with the sidewinder umbilicle wirelocked to it, and sticker from 92, and one from the Jag sqn 😬

[@Meadowsec]

I will second that bro!

[@FENCYCLIST]

I was on a cycle ride today, talking about this to a retired wing commander, he told me he was at Cranwell with Flt Lt Alistair Inverarity's daughter.

[@KapiteinKrentebol]

Goal: realistic training achieved ✅

[@Retirement_Life]

Excellent video. Never heard about this before, despite being in the RAF at the time! 😱

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@garrybaldy327]

Great video, Dec. Give my regards to Ant.

[@awritenthat]

Enjoyable presentation , many thanks for your effort and hard work .

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@mtkoslowski]

05:34 By this point I knew what had gone seriously wrong. Nice presentation and very good narration.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Thanks very much

[@rbaxter286]

Read a lot of USN incident reports while updating the yaers-behind notices at the quintessential Brown Shoe staffed recruiting command. No shortage of "Oopsies" like this just from memory.

[@ColinH1973]

Excellent article. I had completely forgotten about this incident. Luckily there were no casualties. Did you ever work on spooks?

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Glad you enjoyed it. As for Spooks......that would be telling haha!

[@ColinH1973]

@@TheNorthernHistorian Just asking 😁

[@christopherrobinson7541]

The master arm switch was usually taped when the aircraft was fitted with live ordinance. The tape was usually red and white. During the Falklands conflict the stores were emptied of everything, so there was no tape, so the switch was not taped.

[@Meadowsec]

Absolute rubbish!

[@christopherrobinson7541]

@@Meadowsec The board of enquiry stated that the master arm switch was not taped per usual practice. The pilot lives in Fife Scotland and has visited our gliding site and is the friend of a retired Senior Engineering Officer (as am I) who I sent solo. We discussed the event as I was a little later the design authority for the radar and the missile control system.

[@RobertLenior]

Well done this video!

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Thank you

[@wuaf_devas9678]

That jaguar pilot earned paratrooper qualifications!

[@Use-or-Lose]

You can recall fighter/bombers, but you can’t recall ICBMs. From pulling the ‘ejection handle’ to deployment of parachute, only takes ‘one and a half seconds!’

[@stuartofblyth]

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom - a legend.

[@buttyboy100]

"The triumph of thrust over aerodynamics" as the designer of the English Electric Lightning refered to the Phantom.😂

[@francisebbecke2727]

Assumption is the mother of all mistakes.

[@davidshepherd5511]

I was serving at RAF Laarbruch at the time ( subsequently the venue for the following court martial) They were very lucky that the downed jet came down between a fuel storage facility and an electrical supply station 😮 The consequence of this “mistake “ could have been disastrous.

[@johnp8131]

Don't know how much info' you'll get on it but one of our Canberra's bought down a Lightning in '87. It was 5 Sqn's last APC at Akrotiri and he shot the crossbeam supporting the banner off of the Canberra. Trouble was it went straight up his intake. They weren't impressed when 100 Sqn ground crew stuck a DayGlo sticker of a Lightning under the canopy. I know the lads "zapped" a U2 as well that had crash landed near our pan. That did not go down well?

[@thearmouredpenguin7148]

The Yanks don't have much of a sense of humour, when I was on Treble One there was a squadron exchange with a USAF Phantom unit; their CO went absolutely ballistic when one of the Treble One ground crew guys zapped the USAF 'tooms with a Scottish Liberation Air Force zap.

[@andyb.1026]

I hadn't heard of that One ( ex 19 Rigger)

[@andybarton6055]

I remember it well. I was a young SAC working on Tanker Pool, having most probably refuelled both jets at some time.

[@englishkernigit8294]

Surprised you weren't pulled in to the court martial just to try and shag you for not doing a water check "... and this was why my client pulled the trigger, cos his fuel didn't smell right.."

[@kevinward3088]

An immediate " interview without coffee " with the Station Commander awaited the Phantom pilot upon his return. At least the Jag pilot received as minimal bodily harm as was possible during an ejection , thankfully. Good video , thanks for posting , the real dangers of the " fog of war " under necessarily realistic training regimes.

[@ColinH1973]

Sorry, but I hate that expression. I have had lots of interviews and never yet been offered coffee. Absolutely no offence meant to you, friend.

[@12345fowler]

@@ColinH1973 This is a cool figure of speech tough

[@richhughes7450]

Not a kill a pilot wants on his cv. Lol. Thanks for posting. Both planes look good.

[@CJB-]

Can you please stop making videos about historic events that I can remember. It makes me feel old.😂

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

If I have to feel old....then so do you haha. When I first arrived on a squadron in 1991, ex RAF-G people were still talking about this like it was yesterday. My next video is WW2 era so I'll give you a break

[@CJB-]

@@TheNorthernHistorian haha thank you, great work BTW.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Jeez, haven't been called a sprog for a while haha!

[@leifvejby8023]

If you can remember them youy are old. Me too.

[@brianduff6919]

I was in the pigs bar (bell and hornet) when some of the phantom lads turned up with the damaged front fairing and a piper leading them.lynn (barmaid)pulled the shutters down just in time as the 14 sqd boys went nuts.the bagpipes were in bits.those were the days.

[@geordiedog1749]

Great story. I was wondering if he’d get to ‘keep the kill’.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

He sure did!

[@steveashforth5097]

This incident led to the fitment of what was called the 'Eagle Eye' mod. This was a periscope fitted in place of the quarterlight window on the left side of the airframe, for the use of the navigator. I was at Coningsby, on the ASF & fitted quite a few of them.

[@Meadowsec]

Rubbish, they were fitted as a backup for no reply from IFF interrogation. How would this have stopped this unfortunate incident?

[@steveashforth5097]

@@Meadowsec It wouldn't have in this case. As I said the accident invoked the fitting of the 'Eagle Eye' mod.

[@bikenavbm1229]

great account and detail thank you

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

I joined up in 83 so very much my era aircraft. Many people tell of being there at that time. 'Apparently' the controller had to ask the pilot his missile status on return to the airfield several times because there was a number missing. Also the ground crew looked at the aircraft and missing missile. I think a fortunate miss of the pilot but a heck of a lot learned, not obly for aircrew, but also ground crew. In 87 I was posted to Guttersloh on 18 SQN Chinooks.

[@shirleydrury5565]

One of the best multi roll aircraft ever made. 👍👍

[@iansinclair7581]

Could not believe it when I started to watch the video. I thought is this the story I was told back in the 80’s. When Flt Lt Inverarity’s name came up it clinched it. This story was related to me by Don Inverarity who is the Navigators brother. We were serving on the same ship probably one of Shell’s G class at the time.

[@chrisaskin6144]

A plumber is a slang term in the Air Force for an armourer - used by aircraft technicians of an inferior standing to a plumber (which is basically all of them).

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

I was a 'fairy'

[@davegoldsmith4020]

@@TheNorthernHistorian Somebody had to be ! I was a rigger on 31 squadron at the time

[@chrisaskin6144]

@@davegoldsmith4020 Just need's a sooty to stand up, and we've almost got a full house.

[@johnp8131]

@@davegoldsmith4020 As a 'Station Plumber', I did Deci' 82 to 84 inclusive with 20 and 31 and on my second tour with 31 Tornados. So I probably know you, at least by sight. I presume your name went on 'the wall' out there?

[@davegoldsmith4020]

@@johnp8131 It did, I left 31 in Jan 82 so we may have missed each other . My second tour I was the SNCO Tank bay, visited my old haunt often, so we may have have bumped into each other.

[@gershonpollatschek6048]

Call me crazy, but the british Phantom looks so much better than the original. Just a bit longer and sleeker, I suppose.

[@darbyheavey406]

Which model F-4 was it? A different radar set?

[@bestbehave]

I think the British version has much larger engines

[@enricol5974]

@@bestbehave Rolls Royce Spey instead of the GE J79

[@VolkerGoller]

It was the good old days

[@freddie-etf-team3]

well done. thanks

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Thanks for watching!

[@shermansquires3979]

I was at RAF Wildenrath at the time.

[@johnhudghton3535]

Excellent accoint. Thank you.

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

I remember about reading about this in an aerospace magazine.

[@nickcastings1568]

I think the Phantom was a bit pissed off because Bruggen was theirs up until roughly 1975/6 when the Jags took their place! 😄

[@scottfw7169]

Mr. Murphy had it right from the git go, "What can go wrong will go wrong." A lot of my family have been or are in various branches of the US military, and, yes, peace time operations are only moderately less dangerous than war time operations.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Very true!

[@itsnotalwaysblackandwhite8624]

Please, please, please. Do a story on the V1 that landed in the North East on 24th December 1944.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

I'll do a little research and see if it's doable.

[@ColinH1973]

@@TheNorthernHistorian Please, I second that request.

[@clives344]

Heard about this when living at Laarbruch at the time. An amazing account of the events leading up to what happened

[@bepolite6961]

I was on duty in the SSA at LAARBRUCH when the call came in from the civil police. We provided the initial response from LAARBRUCH as the closest unit to the "crash" site. The lads from BRUGGEN then relieved us.

[@dt7449]

The Jag pilot ejected on two separate occasions in 1982 !!!!!

[@johnp8131]

At leasttwice? Steve came back to the Armoury at Bruggen to show us the film of his second ejection filmed by an F111 over Scotland. We heard rumour that he ejected a third time, unlikely but not impossible? It would depend on his health and if his seat used a 'rocket pack'? Slower and more staged ejection sequence. Less impact on the spine. As an armourer, I went directly to the crash site that day, less than an hour after it happened as they needed us to drag out the 30mm that was smouldering? Not a chance!

[@Vtarngpb]

8:49 Black and yellow black and yellow black and yellow black and yellow

[@raven_1133]

The accent fits the narration very well. I have fallen in love with this channel.

[@billb7876]

I had a Jaguar flight with Steve Griggs a few years before this happened at Lossie.

[@sicknote1558]

Lol that narrator sounds like decklin Donnelly 😅

[@keithattwood59]

I was on that exercise that day on 19 Sqn. I remember the report coming in. A Battle Flight kite sent out to play games...

[@jmcsms]

It wasn't a Battle Flight jet, it was loaded by an Eng Ops team as part of the generation, who didn't tape the switch, because the topic 6 didn't mention it. They copper lockwired it as was the correct procedure - it was a local policy which wasn't official - the Topic 6 and Aircrew Flight Reference docs were amended afterwards. Before deciding on the CM for the aircrew they tried to CM to OTR wpns team leader, who had done his job properly

[@timgosling6189]

I understand the F-4 crew actually took a barrel over for the Jag boys as an apology but were thrown off the Station by the CO😞

[@thearmouredpenguin7148]

I returned from Wildenrath some months before this incident occurred and still had a few mates out there at the time. The general feeling was that the aircrew had been crapped on by those above. The only thing they were guilty of was forgetting, in the heat of the exercise, that the aircraft was armed with live weapons. Everything in the aircraft behaved in exactly the way it would on any other training exercise pretty much automatic and their actions were, as one would expect, totally consistent with that training. Two things not mentioned in the video; 1) the tape was missing because no tape could be found, this was reported at the time but the sortie was authorised by "someone" anyway, and 2) Alistair Invararity was a fairly big guy and because of the exercise was also required to carry a pistol; this would have been in the right leg pocket of his flying suit. If you have ever sat in the back seat of a 'Toom then you will know that there's not lot of room, the circuit breaker panel in question being adjacent to the Navs' right leg meant that it would be very easy for the small amount pressure required for the faulty CB to make contact without him knowing.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Thanks for that insight. Interesting about Inverarity being a big guy and having to squeeze into the back seat. I've never sat in a phantom before, I was a Tornado engineer, but I can imagine the problem. Bit of a daft place to put a CB panel.

[@thearmouredpenguin7148]

@@TheNorthernHistorian Oh, and by the way for some reason QRA at Wildenrath was always (at least informally) referred to as "Battle Flight".

[@kevingould6725]

Hay Tornado engineers don’t be too critical of the cb panel .. with certain 2 cbs pulled if one is foolish enough you can start a engine which will runaway to destruction . Welcome to Tornado FADEC . Engines run by computer. Ow by the way I worked on both the Toom and Tonka

[@jwassell9512]

I was working in the elect bay at Wildenrath when the CB panel came in. As I remember, after all sorts of resistance checks after heating and cooling the panel, I signed off as NFF. However I was part of a team and the final sign off was carried out by my Chief Tech. And it was a long time ago.

[@jmcsms]

Not getting into any arguments but the jet didn't have white tape because it was a local (and unauthorised by the EA) policy. The load team leader D Mc from AEF, not 92, loaded the jet correctly iaw the Topic 6, which stated that copper lockwire should be used. They tried to stitch him up a few times prior to finally charging the aircrew. The Topic 6 and Flight Reference cards were amended subsequently to include white tape - which was still a bag o' sh.....fell off if you had oil on your pinkies....or there was a mild wind.....the BOI never really looked at why the Staish flew the jets live when policy was to download due to Sparrow/Skyflash wing hub fatigue issues as well...

[@Spitfiresammons]

Great story do a story of a raf ground crew who took off by accident in a lightning.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

I may look into that. It's a great story

[@johnathanh2660]

An RAF senior engineer who was performing an engine test when the Lightning took off. He also happened to be a qualified pilot, but only on basic aircraft, and certainly not fast jets.

[@Saxondog]

Never knew about this event till now. Thanks for the info. A series of events, like you stated, caused this to happen...Hmmm..how many nuclear weapons are there? I'll try not to lose too much sleep on that one.

[@L_U-K_E]

Playing the Jaguar GR1A in War Thunder rn.

[@jon1801]

Think this was the only RAF "shootdown" since WW2, until a few months ago when a Typhoon shot down a drone over Syria. All the Falklands kills were by Shar.

[@RedcoatT]

The RAF shot down 4 Egyptian aircraft in 1948

[@sicknote1558]

​@RedcoatT didn't know anything about both incidents thank people

[@andyb.1026]

I worked with the Jag jockey ~ His version after a few glasses was Hilarious

[@grahamcook9289]

Something must have gone wrong as all RAF aircraft would have IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) to stop friendly fire by an air-to-air missile.

[@NineSeptims]

They knew it was friendly. It was training practice where you pretend to attack an allied jet in a mock attack. What they didn't expect is to fire their missile for real.

[@grahamcook9289]

@@NineSeptims My understanding is that a friendly missile itself, once launched, would detect the IFF signal of the intended target, recognise it as friendly and self abort the attack. I believe this was to stop shooting down one of your own air aircraft in a crowded combat zone akin to a dog-fight. Is this not the case? If it isn't, then what is to stop a missile that misses it target then acquiring a new friendly target? Presumably not all missiles Arte launched at enemy targets 20-30 miles away with no friendlies nearby, or is this why Ukrainian and Russian aircraft only engage at long standoff distances and in fact often stay outside of the range of any possible airborne missile attack?

[@raymondyee2008]

I see that your video covered parts that Mark Felton didn’t touch on.

[@chrisfox3161]

Not provable. Mere hearsay. But putting a Cpl sootie into a headquarters post does give him a bit of info The dayglo tape around the final arm switch wasn't fitted because instructions were issued to stop the practice. It'd been normal for any Q jet to have something to remind the crew they were "live" thus avoiding incidents. However someone thought otherwise and stopped it on the Sqn. Oddly enough in 1992/3 when I did my last stint as Q groundcrew bits of dayglo were once again adorning every " don't touch unless you mean it" switch.

[@patchmack4469]

thats interesting to here your take on the subject - from my own interpretations from 'others' i got the strong hint that things weren't so much as covered up, procedures had changed and then changed back due to this incident, i had heard that the red tape was put over the switches because of the incident, but wasn't aware this had been procedure previously - i knew pretty well the humor against 92 squadron for successfully shooting down a Jag, and fortunately no one died and my guess is between the bosses when making their final essessments these matters were put to bed quietly as accidents do happen when doing such dangerous jobs, blame the planes and less so on the aircraew, but lets add very likely the aircrew over the years i had been in good company, i know the boss on 92 squadron, a Phantom jockey, i forget when he was OC but i also knew fairly well the OC on 14 squadron at the time, was then David Baron (i guess a wing commander then), sadly passed away a few years ago as Group Capatain retired - anyway Davids take on it with tongue in cheek, he had been at a group meeting of heads of staff and got the call to return to base, as a plane had gone down, actually the Jaguar in question itself was assigned to him as boss (pieces of this plane are in the Tangmere museum, and he would say, look sadly these things happen, thankfully no one suffered greatly, it was a bit awkward with some paperwork required and not really cricket, shooting a plane down low on fuel returning to base just isn't done, bad show

[@chrisfox3161]

As stated no documentation to prove any of it. Just the sure knowledge that if an aircraft was armed with live weapons then cockpit cues such as bright orange tape on weapon selector switches, and the final arm switch, were fitted. It was to put a " Stop and think" in muscle memory. Pilots followed exactly the same procedure, including the missile making the appropriate noises when a target was locked. Absolutely everything was identical whether inert weapons or live.

[@michaelsharman3553]

I was on 92 Sqn what you say in your transcript is not quite true, I was a FLM on the day of the incident working out of the HAZ next door

[@PottyPirateXXIII_IX]

Can someone let me know if RAF Phantoms had the MG pod or built in MG's...

[@Wirefox1]

Pod only.

[@warhawk4494]

Great video on a unfortunately accident.

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Wirefox1]

I wish someone would make a video on the story of the Typhoon returning to Wharton and getting jumped by 2 F15s. They both ended up in front of the Typhoon and were both locked. Or thats the story i was told. 😊

[@carnelmccarthy1099]

Glad the Phantom got its kill mark... It deserved it.

[@tmobaile1187]

REALY STRANGE ACCEDENT

[@awritenthat]

Hi , when are you adding some more videos , hope all well with you ??

[@tonymayhew9304]

There was a simulator plug fitted on a Sparrow launcher on RAF Phantoms

[@johnp8131]

What are you talking about Tony? Enlighten me? Don't know so much about Sparrows but we used to fit 'Aquisition' Sidewinders for that purpose. That much I know as I used to fit and do the 'Growl checks' on Jags and Tornados. Were Sparrows different?

[@sicknote1558]

​@@johnp8131lol 😂 you shut him down 😂

[@jmcsms]

@@johnp8131 Simplug fitted to missile umbilical connector, lots of shorts and returns for the weapons system, in the Aero 7a and let the crew do their thing - normally fitted to Stn 6 R Left

[@Meadowsec]

@@jmcsms Spot on kid. Ex MCS

[@ianrkav]

The footage of those jaguars taking off shows the right afterburner glowing brighter than the left. Anyone know why? Did they use just one afterburner during take off for some reason?

[@millycarrington]

Don't know why the burners are different or if that is just a quirk of the jag but both would have been engaged. We had some jags on exercise at Leuchars when I was there on the F4 and the standard joke was that the jag took off due to the curvature of the earth as it was so underpowered so everything would have been maxed out on takeoff.

[@MaxPlankton]

It's partial reheat, providing sufficient excess thrust for t/o and associated contingencies concurrent to conserving fuel and extending time between overhauls.

[@bertiewooster3326]

Des Lawrence was the father of the pilot an old chum of mine !

[@David_Owsnett]

An amazing story!

[@88SPIKE]

you forgot RAF Geilenkirchen and the flying sequences were on the mach loop in Wales

[@TheNorthernHistorian]

At the time of this story, RAF Geilenkirchen was no longer a main flying station in RAF Germany. There is very limited footage online in which to use and so the Mach loop will always feature somewhere in many peoples videos.

[@88SPIKE]

@@TheNorthernHistorian Understood - thank you

[@johnp8131]

@@TheNorthernHistorian Sounds about right. On my first tour at Brüggen quite a few "Scaley's" were still quartered a Geilenkirchen as there were plenty going spare, as I don't think it was fully operational by then. When I went back five years later I suppose they needed them again as the AWACS had totally moved in, and I can't remember anyone commuting there?

[@rhino269]

Didn’t the Jags have any flares?

[@johnp8131]

ECM and BOZ could be fitted but If they were, they weren't activated as it was only an exercise and could have affected the civilian community? I don't remember seeing any in the remains but I was more interested in smouldering 30mm cannon shells?

[@twotone3070]

A question, I had heard many years ago that because of the g force applied to the spine when ejecting a pilot wasn't allowed to fly that role again? Clearly this wasn't true?

[@twotone3070]

@UncappingBadger Thank you for the information.

[@johnp8131]

@@twotone3070 Depended on the mark of seat and obviously the health of the aircrew, post ejection. On early seats I fitted, 3's and 4's, they only used a main gun (basically a telescopic tube) with three steps of gradual charges. Enough to throw everything clear at speed. Someone once said to me 0 to 60 in 0.2 of a second, don't know how much truth there was in that though? Later seats, as in the Jaguars, also had rocket packs, therefore less force was required to clear the aircraft, as when the main gun was fully extended the rocket pack would take over so the acceleration was more gradual. I worked on Mk 3 through to Mk 10 seats. What a difference! Also, they discouraged aircrew from using the "Face screen handle" as it caused a possible curvature of the spine on ejection. You'll notice that later seats only have a "Seat pan handle", at least on MB seats.

[@twotone3070]

@@johnp8131 Thank you, excellent explanation.

[@sicknote1558]

​@@johnp8131interesting 👍

[@wellggbro3961]

achievement unlock: learn how to shoot IR missile.

[@george5590]

stiff upper lip , got them. out of trouble

[@grahamjordan1040]

I landed safely no drama

[@deltic5514]

why did he paint the target with radar and then fire a heat seeking missile?

[@achosenman9376]

Because that’s how the Phantom found the targets in the first place.

[@brucelamberton8819]

Oops!

[@st1nk1n]

The frrst aircraft the RAF shot down since the second world war, was their own!

[@simontemplarGB]

So after all that they were just sitting duckszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[@nickdanger3802]

/

[@MaxPlankton]

Just typical fighter pilot high spirits, probably smoked that Jag for a bet haha!

[@antigod8385]

i think it's unfair that the pilots were punished, they did not know the aircraft was fully armed and therenwas nothing they could do about it apart from not firing the missile (which they thought was a dummy until it actually fired)

[@johnp8131]

Absolute rubbish! Have you not read what those that were there have written? Or more likely you didn't understand.

[@antigod8385]

@@johnp8131 this is actually the first i've heard of the incedent so i just went off what i heard in the video

[@johnp8131]

@@antigod8385 The Phantom pilot lied about the tape as at least three groundcrew saw it and signed for it. Also live missiles have big yellow rings around them to indicate high explosive, "requisition missiles" do not! Plus, it's all documented in the 700, (aircraft log). You can't miss either unless you fail to do your compulsory pre-flight checks correctly? If it had have been the fault of the armourers in any way, they would have been "hung" for it, and surprisingly they weren't! As it was, the Phantom aircrew just got a "smacked wrist", re-training and temporarily grounded for a few months. The latter would have hit the hardest as they would have lost "flying pay", which could be up to 30+% of their salary. In the end a "Court Martial" isn't what most people think it is?

[@antigod8385]

@@johnp8131 i see, thanks for telling me more on this, as i said i was only going off what the video said

[@davegoldsmith4020]

The NCO who prepared the F700 for the pilot of the Phantom would have made sure the pilot was happy with the state of his aircraft when the Pilot signed and accepted responsibility, for the aircraft. I was an NCO in charge of a flight line at Lossiemouth, More than once a pilot tried to complain about his aircraft. Once a pilot started to complain he had failed to get his refuelling sign off because the probe was U/S. I pointed out he had signed for an aircraft that did not have a refuelling probe and pointed out, where it was written in the F700 red line limitations, which he signed as having read. but he still insisted it was the ground crews fault.

[@tommypaget2294]

Their ground mechanics didn’t check the aircraft’s actual load out? The ground crew should be in on this excercise, too?