Just came across this story from the blog of one of the Star Trek SFX guys which i thought I would share, incredible or what….
“In 1970, while assigned to the71st FIS at Maelstrom AFB, Montana, its pilot ejected during an inflight emergency. The pilot somehow got himself into a flat spin — considered generally unrecoverable in an F-106 — and he did what the flight handbook said to do — get out of it, i.e. eject. After the pilot did just that, 58-0787 recovered itself from this “unrecoverable” situation. In a vain attempt to break the spin, the pilot had lowered half flaps, rolled in takeoff trim, and throttled the engine back to an approach power setting. After the ejection, the aircraft recovered from the spin on its own, and established a wings level low rate descent under reduced power to the ground. Ground effect broke its rate of descent, and it settled into a near-perfect gentle belly landing in a farmer’s snow-covered cornfield.
When the local sheriff came upon the scene, the engine was still running. The aircraft was situated on a slight incline, and was creeping forward slowly under the thrust of its still-running engine, as
the snow compressed to ice under it. Concerned about where it might be headed, the sheriff didn’t think he could wait for the recovery team to get there from Malstrom which was about 50 miles away; so he got himself connected to the aircraft’s squadron for engine shut down instructions before he entered the cockpit to secure the engine.
The photos show pretty much what the sheriff beheld on that fateful day.
A depot team from McClellan AFB recovered the aircraft and it was eventually returned to service. When the 71st FIS was disbanded in 1971, 58-0787, now famously known as the “Cornfield Bomber”, was transferred to the 49th FIS, where it finished out its operational service life. Pilots of the 49th FIS would occasionally run into ex-71st FIS guys at William Tell and rag them unmercifully about the “emergency” so dire that the plane landed itself.
58-0787 is now on permanent display in its 49th FIS markings at the USAF Museum at Wright Patterson AFB, where its story is told in the exhibit. While the 49th FIS Eagle jocks are reportedly glad to see their squadron immortalized in this way for millions to see, they would prefer to see it made more clear that it was the 71st, and not one of theirs, who jumped out of this perfectly good aircraft.”
By: Bager1968 - 19th March 2010 at 19:55
This is where i read it
http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/lightning/history.php
mentioned here also
http://www.military-aircraft.org.uk/jet-fighter-planes/english-electric-lightning.htm
curlyboy
Both “sea stories” related without any specifics whatsoever… not even the general region in which it supposedly occurred, much less exacting details like the year of the event, model of either aircraft, unit(s) involved, or indeed anything that could possibly be used to verify the tale.
And, both are nearly exactly the same wording, meaning they came from the same unverified and unmentioned source.
I have heard a lot of such stories… many of which began with the words “No ****, this really happened…”.
By: Blue_2 - 18th March 2010 at 08:35
Likewise, Joey. Let’s go to Specsavers together (if we can find them):cool:
Had to laugh gents! 😀
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th March 2010 at 21:23
This is where i read it
http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/lightning/history.php
mentioned here also
http://www.military-aircraft.org.uk/jet-fighter-planes/english-electric-lightning.htm
curlyboy
By: davecurnock - 17th March 2010 at 14:17
Well done – great pictures confirm exactly what CD said. I need new specs!:)
Likewise, Joey. Let’s go to Specsavers together (if we can find them):cool:
By: pagen01 - 17th March 2010 at 13:58
Some details of the fairly horrible Harrier accident are here, just for clarification there wasn’t an ejection, and the canopy framing remained in place.
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1988/1988%20-%200914.html
I don’t know what it (or some of the other mentioned aircraft) have to do with the F-106 incident, which is a seperate subject in having a happy ending for the pilot, aircraft, and anyone on the ground
By: J Boyle - 17th March 2010 at 13:51
A pilotless single seat fighter is nothing….
Ever hear about a Vulcan flying around aimlessly, void of any direction or leadership?
Sorry, this belongs in the XH558 thread….:D:diablo::D:diablo:
By: Sage the Owl - 17th March 2010 at 13:40
Did they not notice the canopy missing? Who did they expect to answer their radio calls?
If I remember this case correctly, the unanswered radio calls were initially made from ground control, not air to air. When they didnt receive any answer they asked the transport to investigate as it was in the vicinity.
Thats when it was discovered that it was pilotless.
By: Icare9 - 17th March 2010 at 13:23
…..was killed when he was unintentionally ejected from Harrier GR5 ZD325 near Boscombe Down. Harrier ZD325 flew on west for nearly two hours, during which time it was shadowed by a USAF transport aircraft after failing to respond to radio calls…..
Did they not notice the canopy missing? Who did they expect to answer their radio calls?
By: pagen01 - 17th March 2010 at 11:43
There arn’t any, other than mythical ones.
This subject of a pilotless RAFG Harrier being shot by a F.2A has come up on pprune on a regular basis, (and on here in the past) and the concencous among the posters (which included posts from those on the RAFG Lighning units at the time) was that it didn’t happen.
There was a Harrier on exercise in Denmark, that the pilot ejected from, that continued flying post ejecting, that a F-104 was despatched to shoot down, but the erant Harrier crashed of it’s own accord before the ‘104 got anywhere near it.
That would suggest it is a blending of two stories then, otherwise there would be a Harrier and Lightning pilot to give accounts, eyewitness accounts, operational records books, serious crash investigations, controllers accounts, all to back up the tale.
By: Creaking Door - 17th March 2010 at 11:23
I thought that this was possibly the incident that took place on 22nd October 1987 when test pilot Taylor Scott was killed when he was unintentionally ejected from Harrier GR5 ZD325 near Boscombe Down. Harrier ZD325 flew on west for nearly two hours, during which time it was shadowed by a USAF transport aircraft after failing to respond to radio calls, eventually crashing into the Atlantic Ocean.
By: Firebird - 17th March 2010 at 10:33
Do you have any details of this incident?
There arn’t any, other than mythical ones.
This subject of a pilotless RAFG Harrier being shot by a F.2A has come up on pprune on a regular basis, (and on here in the past) and the concencous among the posters (which included posts from those on the RAFG Lighning units at the time) was that it didn’t happen.
There was a Harrier on exercise in Denmark, that the pilot ejected from, that continued flying post ejecting, that a F-104 was despatched to shoot down, but the erant Harrier crashed of it’s own accord before the ‘104 got anywhere near it.
By: RPSmith - 17th March 2010 at 09:42
AW.52 Flying Wing TS363 also landed itself on 30th May, 1949 after test pilot J.O. Lancaster ejected (first use in UK of Martin Baker bang seat in an emergency) when an asymmetric flutter developed and the aircraft became uncontrollable.
There was not a lot of damage although I don’t think the aircraft flew again.
Roger Smith.
By: Peter - 17th March 2010 at 00:38
That is an amazing story one of which I had seen somewhere before. Interesting to hear that it still survives today in a museum.
By: Creaking Door - 17th March 2010 at 00:33
A similar thing happened with a Harrier where the pilot ejected and the aircraft carried on flying but the RAF sent a Lightning to shoot it down…
Do you have any details of this incident?
By: Arabella-Cox - 16th March 2010 at 19:30
A similar thing happened with a Harrier where the pilot ejected and the aircraft carried on flying but the RAF sent a Lightning to shoot it down (the only air to air kill for the type?) as probably the plane could not have landed itself as most human pilots struggle to do it.
I did read somewhere that the report into it the pilot ejecting was what caused the recovery as to break a flat spin you need to change the airflow or something techy like that.
curlyboy
By: Creaking Door - 16th March 2010 at 16:21
Ha! I didn’t see that photograph first time I looked at your link; looks ‘made to fit’…
…and with a silver nose…..hence the apparent colour changes. All clear now!
By: Blue_2 - 16th March 2010 at 16:04
If you look at the pics on the link I posted one on there shows it back on it’s gear but still with the tarp over. the tarp is made of a darker material down the sides, but a very much lighter material over the actual cockpit itself. Does that un-bemuse you at all? Or just muddy the water further?!
By: Creaking Door - 16th March 2010 at 15:50
Now I’m confused…..the nose of the aircraft is black (not to the extent of the first photograph)…
…but it looks lighter than the ‘tarpaulin’. There must be something there as where did the ‘roundel’ go? :confused:
By: RMAllnutt - 16th March 2010 at 15:49
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4085
Here’s the link to the aircraft as it is on display at the Air Force Museum… true story, but I must admit I had my head scratching when looking at the cockpit too!
Thanks for the photos… lovely images, and an amazing story… not the only time this sort of thing has happened though!
All the best,
Richard
By: Red Hunter - 16th March 2010 at 15:38
Well done – great pictures confirm exactly what CD said. I need new specs!:)
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March 16, 2010 at 1:58 am