Avro Vulcan B.2 XM604 crew 1968 - St Nicholas - Cottesmore, Rutland - Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

Memorial plaque to the crew of Avro Vulcan B.2 XM604 who lost their lives in an air crash at RAF Cottesmore, 30 Jan 1968.

"January 30, 1968 A fire in the No 2 engine led to turbine disc separation. The disc entered the bomb bay, damaging the flying controls severely. The Vulcan was uncontrollable and crashed at RAF Cottesmore, Rutland. The pilots ejected but four rear crew were killed."

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The inscription reads:
TO THE MEMORY OF
[Names]
of
No IX Squadron RAF Cottesmore
who lost their lives 30th January 1968
We Will Remember Them

Names on memorial:
Flt. Lt. A.W. Bennett
Fg. Off. B.D. Goodman
Flt. Lt. S.R. Sumpter
Fg. Off. M.J. Whelan

"Type: Avro Vulcan B.2
Owner/operator: Royal Air Force (RAF)
Registration: XM604
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 6
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Cow Close Farm, Burley, Rutland - United Kingdom
Phase: Initial climb
Nature: Military
Departure airport: RAF Cottesmore (EGXJ)
Destination airport: RAF Cottesmore (EGXJ)

Narrative:
A fire in the No 2 engine low pressure compressor failed during climb out from an overshoot at Cottesmore, Leicestershire led to turbine disc separation. The disc entered the bomb bay, damaging the flying controls severely. The Vulcan was uncontrollable and crashed on approach to RAF Cottesmore, Rutland.
The pilots ejected but four rear crew were killed. Co-Pilot, Flying Officer Mike Gillett ejected safely. Pilot Flt Lt Peter Tait stayed with the Vulcan way beyond what was sensible to get his rear crew out. He only survived because his deploying parachure was caught by power lines 35ft above the ground.

Extract from the Board of Inquiry report relating to the crash of Vulcan XM604:

"The aircraft had rolled to port through at least 90 degrees but not more than 120 degrees, with a nose down angle of between 15 and 20 degrees when the Captain ejected from an approximate height of 300 feet by pulling the face blind. The blind partially covered the right side of his face because he only used his right hand to pull the face screen firing handle. Due to the attitude of the aircraft and the low height at the time of ejection the parachute had only streamed when the pilot passed through high tension cables close to the scene of the accident. The canopy caught one cable, pulled that cable onto the next one and caused an electrical short. This fused the nylon panels together which acted as a brake, and the pilot was lowered to the ground. As his feet touched he undid the quick release box and walked away.""

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