Accident at Duxford a couple of years ago - Skyraider + P-51D

[Simon Cornes]

Does anyone know what happened after this accident? The P-51 pilot bailed out -  of Beautiful Doll if I remember rightly - as the Skyraider damaged the rear fuselage but I think the Skyraider lost about 6 foot off the starboard wing tip but presumably landed. I have no idea what happened after that. Can someone tell please?

[Alpha Delta 210]

Hi Simon. 

 

I found the report here:

 

https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/p-51d-mustang-commonwealth-ca-18-mk-22-na-d-fbbd-and-douglas-ad-4n-skyraider-f-azdp-10-july-2011

[Simon Cornes]

Thank you, I think I found it as well! Two very lucky pilots! I am going to see if I can find out what happened to the Skyraider. I assume it was repaired?

[Mark Harmsworth]

It was Flying Legends 2011. Big Beautiful Doll had been owned by Rob Davies and based at Woodchurch in Kent. Had just been sold to a German based company (he described the sale as his pension plan) and I think this might have been the first flight after that with Rob Davies at the controls. The Skyraider pulled up too quickly from what I remember and chewed up BBD's tail. Rob Davies was a lucky man and survived bailing out very low - and over the horizon from the airfiled. He put that down to his RAF training. His daughter called his mobile not knowing he'd survived and was a little bit pleased when he answered.

 

Plenty of videos on youtube of that last flight and interviews with Rob Davies. Here's one showing the Skyraider landing safely.

 

I was lucky enough to see BBD several times at Woodchurch Wings and Things and at Headcorn.

Mark

[Simon Cornes]

Thanks Mark. Do you know if the Skyraider got fixed? I know it was French registered and flown by a French pilot st the time. I’m sure it must have been repaired but I bet he lost his no clams bonus?!!!

[DaveWilko]

Sir,might one point you in this direction:

 

http://duxfordfotogallery.co.uk/skyraider-f-azdp/4594280176

 

The Skyraider was indeed repaired with a complete starboard wing panel sourced from America.

 

One certainly remembers the collision,the bail out by Mr Davies and subsequent crash of the Mustang.

Curiously,the Mustang didn't explode on impact,here are pictures of the aftermath in the field but shall we

say that the Mustang certainly doesn't look its best,having pretty much rolled itself into a ball.

 

The Skyraider lost a good half of the folding panel,it's pilot opening the throttle wide(judging from the large smoke trail)

and used the propeller torque to help counteract the loss of lift from the damaged wing.

 

Edited September 6, 2019 by DaveWilko

[Simon Cornes]

Thanks Dave, I read in a report this evening that the Skyraider did a 360

degree roll after the wing tip came off - and not surprising! But they are tough boots so I’m not surprised it just had a new outer panel fitted. Pity there aren’t any based in the UK now

[Truro Model Builder]

The morale of the story being to make sure you maintain good lookout in the turn.

[noelh]

14 hours ago, Truro Model Builder said:

The morale of the story being to make sure you maintain good lookout in the turn.

Indeed but who thought a Skyraider could out turn a Mustang? In the report it says the Skyraider pilot lost sight of the Mustang during the rehearsal as well. You'd think he'd learn his lesson?

 

What really saved the Mustang pilot was his parachute (and training). Modern emergency parachutes open very fast. A pilot I know got out at about 300 feet and survived. Dropping into the sea though. 

 

The report suggests an automatic opening device for emergency parachutes. Not sure if that's practical or even sensible. 

 

Both pilots were very lucky. 

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I was there that day and was watching from the west side of the land warfare museum. The view I had of the actual contact was more or less a 6o'clock position.

 

The Skyraider didn't out turn the Mustang as such - he just pulled a fairly exuberant break whereas the Mustang didn't. As a long term r/c flyer I don't trust depth perception and always keep angular separation with stuff. I watched the two aircraft converge and became very uncomfortable then an instant later the Mustang kicked and there was a twinkle as the big chunk of Skyraider wing separated and caught the light. A second smaller piece twinkled as it fell too.

 

The Skyraider pilot seemed to instinctively pull the stick into his stomach and it pitched hard but rolled very tightly around where the right wingtip should have been instead. Gill was next to me and just gasped. I think I involuntarily offered "Jesus Christ" as a response.

 

I lost sight of the two for a couple of seconds as I ran up the embankment. There were a few aircraft still in view but I saw one pitch over heading directly away from me, and the orange (*it wasn't orange) parachute appear an instant before the aircraft disappeared below the landscape. I was convinced I'd seen the Skyraider go in - I remember not seeing the mismatched wings but had decided the aircraft must be unflyable with so much wing detached and explained it away to myself on that basis. I couldn't find the Mustang but was looking for a column of smoke or similar appear somewhere.

 

I learned that evening I'd mixed the two aircraft up after reaching the embankment.

 

In the report the Skyraider pilot was noted for considering it normal to lose sight of the leader in a break. Nobody else seemed to agree though.