Hi, I have a photo of a Sea Fury bursting into flames on the deck of a carrier, with the pilot leaping clear. I think it is a Dutch Air Force machine? The aircraft is coded 6 – 27, with a ‘pie chart’ roundel between the numbers and a small tri-colour flag on the tail fin. Any idea of when, where and why? Thanks, K.
By: Stratofreighter - 15th December 2017 at 20:32
I can assure you that as a Dutchman I immediately knew which incident was mentioned… 😉
Willem de Kluizenaar died back in 2014.
He suffered a broken ankle after this Dutch Naval Air Service mishap aboard HMS Illustrious.
This certainly did not stop him becoming a Grumman Tracker pilot,
even being promoted Squadron commander of VSQ-2 in 1967
until this squadron was disbanded with the sale of Dutch carrier “Karel Doorman”.
More photos depicting this accident:
http://www.vlaggeschipsmaldeel5.nl/html/mld_en_hms_illustrious__2_.html
Machine translation:
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=nl&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=nl&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vlaggeschipsmaldeel5.nl%2Fhtml%2Fmld_en_hms_illustrious__2_.html&edit-text=
You will have to scroll down a bit… 😉
According to the original Dutch text at
http://militaireluchtvaartnederland.nl/planes/fighters/102/102/ ,
machine translation text at
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=nl&sl=nl&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fmilitaireluchtvaartnederland.nl%2Fplanes%2Ffighters%2F102%2F102%2F
this:
6-27 c / n 6294
• 210951 in use / acquisition
• 000000 VSQ.3,860
• 030953 accident; unsuccessful landing HMS Illustrious and then set on fire.Lieutenant at Sea W. The Hermit could jump out of the burning machine at the last moment on the deck and walked up a broken ankle.
The wreck was thrown overboard and years later it was fished by a number of aviation enthusiasts in England!
a photo from the well-known series of the deck accidentLieutenant at Sea the Hermit with Sea Fury FB-51
6-27 of VSQ-860; on the accompanying spectacular picture
the moment the pilot moves to freedom
jumps, straight through the sea of flames
fiercely burning Sea Fury; photo MLD / NIMH
Yes, Hermit = Kluizenaar, the family name of the pilot 😉
By: Meddle - 15th December 2017 at 20:20
I’m not usually one to take exception to thread titles, but the title of this one did make me do a double take! In short I scanned it and thought 1) the Dutch have a flying Sea Fury? 2) what was it doing attempting to land on a carrier? and 3) ahha, it must be a historic incident!
By: David Burke - 15th December 2017 at 12:23
The footsteps are on the port side
By: AndyMarden - 15th December 2017 at 11:45
An interesting photo.
I think you can tell that pilots habitually got in and out on the left hand side. I can’t think of any other reason other than habit why he would have got out on that side given that the other side is free of flames…
By: BennoT6 - 14th December 2017 at 08:53
Hi,
September 3, 1953. HMS Illustrious, pilot W. de Kluizenaar
http://militaireluchtvaartnederland.nl/planes/fighters/102/102/
Regards,
Benno
By: kirmington - 13th December 2017 at 22:40
Thank you both very much. Yes thats the one. The photos were taken by my friend’s father, in the RN, so couldn’t work out why he might be on a Dutch carrier. Mystery solved. The picture I have shows the pilot breaking the world high jump record as he exits the cockpit as the flames take hold. I hope he was ok.
By: David Burke - 13th December 2017 at 21:42
Here :https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=47738
By: Bob - 13th December 2017 at 21:41
It is a Koninklijke Marine Sea Fury.
When? – pre 1957 (post ’57 they switched to Sea Hawks)
Where? – possibly on one of the two escort carriers which were named “Karel Doorman”
Why? – bad landing?
Answer – https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=47738
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December 13, 2017 at 9:04 pm