Vulcan Crash on Anglesey?

Any updates? Would be interesting to see if a dig could be arranged!

74 Sqd Phantom to dump

These photos were taken on families day cannot remember the date phantom went straight to the dump from here it was then stripped .

It was called STCAAME (strike command air to air missile establishment) when i was there in the 80’s.

All the parts I found were where the vulcan was dumped, behind AGWOEU or STaCAME depepnding on what year youre working from 🙂

None of us can be sure which a/c the parts are from until evidence is found of a serial number.
The parts I saw (and which appear to be the ones in your photos) looked like they had been there a long time when I first saw them about 15-or more years ago and I seem to remember the Vulcan was still on the dump at the time.
Also, as I mentioned earlier, the wreckage (or some of it) from the crash at Gwalchmai may have been brought to the base for disposal and it is this which is buried.
The location of the stuff in your photos is also at the opposite side of the airfield to where the Vulcan was burnt and would it not be true to say that the scrappy tasked with the removal of the Vulcan’s corpse would have trucked it away not buried it on the other side of the field.
It is my experience not to assume anything about the identity of wreckage until you get conclusive proof – even though the evidence does seem to fit.
Your assertion that “all evidence seems to fit” is only true to the point where the “evidence” is that the buried parts and XL392 occupied the same large airfield for a number of years.
Your assumption may well turn out to be correct but there are too many discrepancies as yet for conclusions to be drawn.
Can anyone have a chat with the OC at Valley and organise a bit of a dig? With the relevant permission from the Boss a licence should not be required – with the parts not being a crash site, as such.

Anon,

Sorry mate, wrong again there. The components you see pictured are all from the main body of the aircraft, and as you can see from the torching pictures, would still have been in place during the burning operations.

The legs would not have been blown away, but simply have PE charges placed to allow the aircraft to fall upon its U/C. Pictures 1 and 2 show a badly crumpled main undercarriage door, Pic 3 shows the Red Steer pressurisation panel, which lives in the tailcone of the aircraft, just aft of the rearmost access door, Pics 4 and 5 show sections of the Radome and Radome latches, which can clearly be seen on the pictures of the aircraft on the dump, Pic 6 shows one of the nosewheels which clearly displays fire damage, Pic 7 shows the Hyd distribution block, which lives on the roof of the Nose U/C bay, and Pic 8 shows fuel tank items, which from the pump, shows that they are wing tank items, and a fuel sequencing timer, which also lives in the Power Bay in the tailcone of the aircraft.

I must admit to being a little bemused as to why you don’t seem to accept that these are items from XL392 and insist that we could be wrong and they may be from other aircraft, despite all evidence being to the contrary?

Flipflopman

Just a thought; Didn’t they blow the u/c legs off the Vulcan on the Valley dump to drop it? These might be the parts that were lying around after the dropping operation which they cleared up and dumped elsewhere on the base.
This will have been before the aircraft was later torched and those remains cleared away.

Anon

Flipflopman,
It’s a common pattern which is also on my Meteor wheels.
If someone can find a size and we can relate that to a particular aircraft that might get us a little further forward.
Otherwise, I’m not doubting your experience and expertise FFman.

Anon

No worries mate, apologies if my post seemed a little snippy.

Just to help s little with the ident, here are a couple of pictures of XH558’s flight wheels, with brand new tyres fitted.

Nosewheel

Mainwheels

Hope that helps a bit.

Flipflopman

Flipflopman,
It’s a common pattern which is also on my Meteor wheels.
If someone can find a size and we can relate that to a particular aircraft that might get us a little further forward.
Otherwise, I’m not doubting your experience and expertise FFman.

Anon

Seeing as it was in a load of vulc bits… 🙂

As for what else is buried/hidden I’ll do some asking around next week, probably get told to ****** off but nothing ventured…

Aint that the truth, especailly with Farmers when searching for crash sites,
they seem to be VERY , suspicious people :rolleyes:

Seeing as it was in a load of vulc bits… 🙂

As for what else is buried/hidden I’ll do some asking around next week, probably get told to ****** off but nothing ventured…

Just going back a bit to post number 43. and the photo’s taken of the old dump at Valley; That nosewheel looks more like Meteor or some similar type to me and a bit lightweight for the likes of a Vulcan.
Can anyone get the size off of it and I’ll check it against my Meteor wheels and see if it’s the same?
Let’s keep on top of this thread and try and find out what’s at Valley.
I’ve heard about the stuff in the lake too namely a B17 crashing there and a Beaufighter.

Anon.

I based my answer there mate, on the 2 years I spent with TVOC rebuilding XH558. Myself and others have fitted and removed those same nosewheels, with those exact same tyres more times you can shake a stick at, so felt quite sure that I recognised them.

However, if you think they’re Meteor wheels…..

Flipflopman

there is no b-17 in the lake a gnat did crash in the lake on the other side of the base maelog lake
there are b-17s and b-24 that flew from the states for valley and ran out of fuel when they were lost crews were never found a b-17 did crash on one of the runways

Valley dump bits

Just going back a bit to post number 43. and the photo’s taken of the old dump at Valley; That nosewheel looks more like Meteor or some similar type to me and a bit lightweight for the likes of a Vulcan.
Can anyone get the size off of it and I’ll check it against my Meteor wheels and see if it’s the same?
Let’s keep on top of this thread and try and find out what’s at Valley.
I’ve heard about the stuff in the lake too namely a B17 crashing there and a Beaufighter.

Anon.

i used to sell it in school

new to the forum
i have some slides of the first burn of the vulan i just missed when they blew the under carrige legs and dropped it.
i use to play in the varsity on a sunday the fire section would fill it with life rafts helmets masks flying suits and then burn it the vulcan at gwalchmai my father in law was one of the fireman who went to the crash.

When I was there, the shackleton used to get filled up with surplus kit, and we used to pop over there at weekends and swipe a bit, then change them for new stuff at clothing stores.

Just to clear up the MDA/MEDA question that was posed. I am reliably informed that there are no longer any declared MDAs, or MEDAs.
Brize Norton, Waddington, Kinloss, Manchester and Prestwick are the diversions of choice (those airfields are 24/7). However, if a military a/c is armed (even chaff/flares) then only the first three are used.
HTH
Resmoroh

I spent a couple of happy years working on TAHS (later VASS) at Valley in the mid 80’s.
Being a MMEDA we used to hold basic ground equipment/tooling for just about every military type of aircraft in europe, also starter cartridges and engine oils.
The list of aircraft types i’ve stuck a bit of petrol in, or packed a brake chute into is quite long, but sadly most of those types have now been relegated to museums.

Excellent shots Gremlin, and my god don’t they take you back to days when every RAF station had a burning ground that was regularly used!

I bet that goddess will be chuffed to bits with the ‘later’ offerings…

…jeeps, trucks, aeroplanes, helicopters! 😀

The worrying thing is that she now has jeeps, trucks, aeroplanes, helicopters to throw back if she gets grumpy!

Adrian

Wow thanks for that!