June 2004, Archive Story
TRANSCRIPT OF THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDINGS DURING THE LOSS OF XR769
As members of the Association will know, the boots worn by Flt Lt
Dick Coleman during his ejection were preserved from disposal by
Morris Phillips at the Nickerson Arms in Rothwell and now hang in
the Lightning Room at Binbrook. During my attempts to track down
more information about the incident, I eventually made contact with
Ian Black in France. Dick was Ian's No.2 on the mission, and Ian not
only took photographs of the aircraft on fire but has very kindly
allowed me to print this account of the loss of XR769, taken from
his original notes written on 11 April 1988 immediately after his
recovery to Binbrook. The transcript which I made of the tape then
follows.
THE LAST EJECTION FROM A LIGHTNING - THE LOSS OF XR769
The sortie (Lightning call sign 'Schubert Formation') was planned as
a 4 v 4 affiliation training exercise with air to air refuelling from
Victor K2 tankers from 55 Sqn over the North Sea. The targets for the
mission were two Phantom F-4Js from No 74 (Tiger) Sqn at Wattisham and
two Royal Norwegian F-16 Fighting Falcons on squadron exchange at
Wattisham.
I was flying XS901, an ex-5 Sqn aircraft, and my Number 2 was Flight
Lieutenant Dick Coleman, an exchange officer from the Royal Australian
Air Force flying XR769, about to be coded BB but only partially marked.
Flt Lt Al Page and F/O Derek Smith flew XS903 and one other. (We
know from Porky Page that his a/c was XS929, so F/O Smith must have been
in XS903. Ed.) I had considered taking XR769 myself, giving Flt Lt
Coleman XS903, the black-finned F6, thus generating the chance of a
photograph of the black-tailed Lightning and the Phantoms on the tanker
together. However, (luckily for me) it proved too difficult, and I took
XS901 (then still coded AH, ex 5 Sqn).
As I was leading the mission, I had planned two refuelling brackets
for the Lightnings. After take-off, we would head straight for the
tanker, fill to full, then start the affiliation exercise. After twenty
minutes or so it was planned that both the Phantoms and Lightnings would
take on fuel as and when required. The briefing and departure all went
as planned. Airborne from Binbrook, we climbed up to 28,000 feet and
headed straight for the tanker 100 miles north-east to refill our tanks
to full prior to our rendezvous with the F-16s and F-4s. Twenty miles
off the coast, the day was clear with little or no cloud. Leaving the
tanker, we descended to 10,000 feet and set up a racetrack pattern
waiting for the targets.
We quickly had contacts on the radar, twenty miles away and slightly
above us. By ten nautical miles we could see a faint dot on the horizon
heading directly for us. Kicking the burners in, we accelerated to 500
kts before the merge. As an F-4 passed down my left side I pulled hard
upwards and to the left, which he quickly countered. Back up at 20,000
feet, we passed each other beak to beak. Time to grab more energy. I
unloaded the aircraft and began a left-hand descending turn then, as I
looked left, I heard a garbled Mayday call and saw a Lightning 2-3 miles
away streaming white vapour.
He was pulling up towards me, being hotly chased by an F-4J. I called
a stop on our frequency and asked who had put out the Mayday. 'Schubert
2'. 'Roger, I acknowledge visual with you'. Barrelling round him to kill
my speed, I closed up on his left side for a visual inspection about
four wingspans out. I asked the GCI (ground radar) for a vector to
Binbrook and told them to get the Leconfield Wessex airborne. Having sat
in crew rooms for some time listening to 'war stories', Lightnings and
fire don't mix, so I knew things didn't look good. Flames were licking
the side of his fuselage under his port wing. As we neared Binbrook, his
fuel state became dangerously low, which meant that an attempt to land
at Binbrook over populated areas with the fire still burning could have
been disastrous. Dick headed east out over the sea and prepared for his
ejection.
I moved back and to the right to avoid being hit by his canopy. In
addition, I wasn't sure what the aircraft would do once he was out, so I
kept my distance. Like watching an action replay, the canopy flew off,
followed by the pilot in his seat which tumbled momentarily before I
looked back and saw the green, orange and white 'chute billow and
disappear into cloud. I then closed up on '769 without its pilot before
it performed a gradual left turn and dived into the sea ten miles east
of Spurn Head. The Martin Baker seat worked perfectly, and within 20
minutes of my landing back at base, Dick was flown in by a No 22 Sqn
Wessex, wet but in perfect health.
Ian Black
TRANSCRIPT OF THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDINGS DURING THE LOSS OF XR769
The amateur tape recording of the voice recordings of the pilots and
ground controllers during the loss of XR769 is well known amongst
Lightning enthusiasts. Some of the copies extend only to the point where
the pilot ejects, but I was fortunate that Morris Phillips, former
landlord of the Nickerson Arms at Rothwell and a friend of many of the
pilots, was able to loan me a version which continued until the SAR
helicopter landed the pilot back at Binbrook.
The words used are as accurate as I can make them out from the tape.
There are a few places where background interference or the rapidity of
the speech make it impossible to decipher, but the great majority of
what was said is faithfully represented. What I cannot represent,
however, is the clipped, cool and professional tone of the cockpit voice
exchanges as the situation rapidly becomes irrecoverable and the
decision to eject unavoidable. There is no emotion, no panic and no
hesitation about what has to be done. And remember, as you read these
words, the events are happening in real time. Where there is a
significant pause with no speech, I have left a line blank. There are
also some explanatory notes in italics which were not part of the
transcript.
KEY:- D C, Dick Coleman; I B, Ian
Black; D P, the Duty Pilot, an experienced pilot who
would be available at all times to advise and assist if a problem arose
on a sortie; A P, Alan 'Porky' Page; BIN,
Binbrook Director; SAR, pilot of the Rescue helicopter;
D&D, London control of the SAR.
- D C ................ details?
- I B ......by the Red Top now,
but it's not as bad as it was before.
D C Roger
- I B I'll just come and take
another closer look on the starboard, correction, port.
- D C OK, don't go underneath me,
the controls are starting to stiffen up.
- I B Roger
- D C Going back to the starboard
now. Down to one thousand pounds on the starboard side. I'll have to
try shortly if we're going to go for it.
- I B Copy
- DC OK, going for a slow descent
on two seven zero.
- I B Copy, I'll follow you down
in trail. (directly behind)
- D C Roger, range and bearing
now to home?
- I B OK, it's two five zero at
twenty five miles.
- D C Roger.
- I B Check QFE, Staxton.
(The base altimeter setting. QFE set the runway at zero, QNH set it
at sea level)
- I B Copied.
- D C Set.
- I B The docks, mate. They're on
the nose at twelve miles.
- D C Roger.
- I B That's a good heading for
the docks at eleven miles.
- D C Roger. What's it look like
now, Blackie?
- I B I'm going to come under
again for a quick look.
- I B I think it appears to have
gone out. It's slightly orange now. Still on fire though.
- D C It's still burning?
- I B Yeah.
- D C Yes, I'd like to go to
Binbrook, please, I'd like to talk to the D P.
- I B OK, Dick. On close
inspection, from the back of the Red Top to half-way down the
ventral is completely burnt.
- D C Roger. Does it look like
it's still burning?
- I B It's still burning and I
can see control runs and I can see wires hanging off. It doesn't
look good, mate.
- D C Roger. I've got the Fire
One illuminated again.
- D C How far from the coast are
we, Staxton?
- D C Roger. Turning starboard
now, I'm going to need ...........to get down at least. I'm moving
away from the coast.
- I B I'll follow you down, mate.
- D C Roger. I've only got eight
hundred pounds left, not much to play with.
- I B Copy.
- D C I'm not so sure I've got
control of the Number Two. It's losing fuel at a rapid rate, six
hundred degrees and no RPM indication.
- I B Copy.
- D C Shall we go to Stud Five,
please, Staxton? (changing to the emergency radio frequency)
- D C Are we going to Stud Five?
Binbrook Director please.
- BIN Stud Five, go.
- I B Schubert.
- D C Schubert Two.
- I B Binbrook, Schubert One and
Mayday.
- BIN Schubert One and Mayday,
you're loud and clear.
- D C Have you got the D P there?
- BIN D P is listening.
- D C D P, the Number One has
still got a Fire One illuminated, looks like it's still burning, the
control runs are bare. The Number Two is still operational and I'm
down to seven hundred pounds of fuel. I'm either going to have to
try it now or get rid of it.
- D P If it's still burning,
you're going to have to leave it, mate.
- I B Yeah, from Blackie, I'm on
his left hand side, it's burnt all the way through down the left
hand side of the ventral. I can see some of the wires hanging
through, but it's obviously still flying OK.
- D P Have you still got evidence
of fire?
- D C Affirmative, Fire One is
still illuminated.
- I B From Blackie, there is
still a fire burning behind the back of the Red Top.
- D P Roger
- D C I'm going to throw it away,
Blackie.
- D C I'll be coming port on to
east.
- D C Director, did you copy
that?
- BIN Affirmative, we copy that.
The rescue helicopter is on the way.
- D C Roger.
- I B OK, Binbrook, we are zero
seven five, sixteen from you. (On a bearing of 075 at sixteen
miles. This would usually be written in the form 075/16)
- BIN We have radar contact.
- D C Steady now, zero nine zero
at ten thousand feet.
- D C You staying well clear,
Blackie?
- I B Yeah, I'm still there.
- D C OK, I'm going to eject,
mate.
- I B Clear.
- I B OK, Dick's out, he's in his
chute and he's away from the seat.
- BIN Copy.
- I B He's going into cloud now.
The aeroplane's in a left hand turn passing about one zero zero.
- BIN Copy.
- I B I'll follow the aeroplane
and just watch it. Dick's going into cloud now. His chute appeared
to open OK and the seat fell away from him. He's all right.
- BIN Roger, copy that.
- I B For the D P, I've got about
fourteens. (1400 lbs of fuel per side)
- D P Roger
- I B The aeroplane's in a slow
descent now.
- I B OK, It's still flying in a
left hand turn, it's pitching up now.
- I B The aeroplane's on a
heading of three three zero now.
- BIN Roger, copy that. The
helicopter's got a lock-on to Dick and is heading for him now.
- I B Thanks.
- I B It's still flying straight
and level at about fifteen thousand feet.
- BIN Roger.
- A P Binbrook Director, Schubert
Four. (Porky Page and Derek Smith in the second two-ship have
arrived)
- BIN Schubert Four, go ahead.
- A P Roger. He's in his
parachute, he's got his life jacket inflated, his PSP's been lowered
and he's waving. (The Personal Survival Pack would automatically
drop from the seat to hang below the pilot during a parachute
descent)
- BIN Roger, copied.
- I B And Porky from Blackie,
I'll be recovering in five minutes. I'm just watching the aeroplane.
If you want to come up and look at it, it's heading about three
three zero now.
- A P What, his aeroplane's still
flying?
- I B Yeah, affirmative.
- A P OK, mate.
- I B Yeah, it's in a left hand
orbit. Hopefully it'll go away from the land.
- A P Blackie, have you taken
plenty of film of it?
- I B Affirmative.
- A P Roger. Well, Grinner's
orbiting the spot where Dick's parachute has just come down into
cloud. I'll try and come up and find you. (Grinner was Derek
Smith's combat call-sign)
- I B Copied, and I'd like
priority on landing, please.
- A P That's fine, mate. I'm
around about Bingo Two'ish at the moment.
- I B And I'm at Bingo Three.
(Fuel state. Bingo One was 2200 lbs per side, Bingo Two was 1800 lbs
per side and Bingo Three was 1400 lbs per side)
- A P Yeah, I thought you might.
I'll go to Staxton and try to get a vector on you.
- A P What's your height?
- I B Fourteen thousand. Got no
TACAN lock on Binbrook, I'm afraid.
- A P OK.
- BIN Porky, from you is three
four zero, twelve.
- A P Contact.
- I B Porky, I'm going to Stax
for one. (For one minute)
- A P Copy.
- I B OK, starting a left hand
descending turn now.
- BIN Roger
- I B Three three cloud now. OK,
I'm overhead the crash position now, if you can get it.
- I B Copy that, Binbrook?
- BIN Roger, I've got that.
- I B About half a mile beneath.
I'm descending to two thousand. Am I clear?
- BIN Affirmative, there's
nothing ahead on recovery.
- I B Copy, I'll be precautionary
single engine.
- BIN Schubert One, Roger.
- I B Just check my heading, I've
got no TACAN.
- BIN Roger. Turn left, heading
two four zero.
- I B Steady.
- I B OK, I imagine it's crashed
about three miles from Spurn Point. Just going for a look.
- BIN Roger.
- I B OK, visual the crash site.
From the caravan site east of Spurn Point, it's due east by about
five miles.
- BIN Affirmative, due east by
five from the caravan site to the north of Spurn.
- I B Yeah, just to the south of
Easington, it's about one zero zero, six miles.
- BIN Roger.
- I B And I'm going to Stud One.
- BIN Roger
- A P OK, Blackie, I'm up above
you. Has it hit the sea yet?
- I B Yeah, it's in the sea, six
miles east of Bravo, correction, Alpha.
- A P It was about a mile in
trail of you when it went in.
- A P Going to Stax.
- I B Tower, Schubert One.
- BIN Schubert One, Tower. Join
two one right hand, QFE one zero zero six, circuit clear. (ie.
Runway 21)
- I B Two one, one double-oh six,
Schubert One.
- BIN Do you see any traffic in
the local area?
- I B Schubert One, nothing
there.
- SAR ..... in orbit, height
approximately four thousand, five thousand feet.
- D&D .........Roger, that's
possibly the plane, stand by for check.
- SAR Roger, still in wide orbit,
he's turning inland at this time, maintaining a left hand turn.
- D&D One Twenty Eight, it looks
like that's your Lightning over the pilot ... ... I've lost the CLP,
have you got it?
- SAR .....I've lost the audio on
the beacon but I still have a homing ..............indication.
- D&D .....I'm relieved about
that. I'm just trying to get the frequencies of the orbiting
Lightnings done.
- SAR Roger, One Two Eight.
- A P Roger, Schubert Four's on
this.
- D&D Schubert Four, you've got a
Rescue One Twenty Eight underneath. Do you have the abandoned pilot
in sight?
- A P I'm trying to find him
right now. I'm just about one mile east of Easington at two thousand
feet.
- D&D Roger. Would you like to
talk to Rescue One Two Eight who's in your immediate vicinity for
pick-up.
- A P Yeah, affirmative.
- SAR Schubert Four, This is One
Two Eight on Guard. (the emergency frequency) I estimate my
position to be about four miles to the east of you, height one
thousand feet, heading one five five degrees, still homing for the
pilot.
- I B Yeah, I'm homing on the
pilot fix as well, trying to find him. You're in about the right
area.
- SAR Roger, continue homing.
D&D Schubert to London, what level are you flying at?
- A P Two thousand feet.
- D&D Do you want to know the
.........at one thousand?
- A P Roger.
- SAR London, Rescue One Two
Eight, we're visual with the pilot in dinghy, descending for
pick-up.
- D&D Roger, One Two Eight,
message from Binbrook, would you assess condition of pilot and go
straight to Ely?
- SAR Confirm, One Two Eight.
- D&D ..............Affirmative,
they won't be on radar yet, but I'll follow you..............
- BIN ..............Many thanks
for your assistance and.............
- SAR Binbrook Director, this is
Rescue helicopter One Two Eight.
- BIN Rescue helicopter, this is
Binbrook Director, you're loud and clear. Flight information five
hundred feet
- BIN The Binbrook QFE one zero
zero six.
- SAR One zero zero six, reset
now.............
- BIN Rescue One Two Eight,
Binbrook on two one, right hand, the colour is blue. (Weather
state)
- SAR Rescue One Two Eight,
that's copied and our ETA now five minutes.
- BIN Rescue One Two Eight,
Roger.
- BIN Rescue One Two Eight, the
Binbrook visual circuit is clear, there's nothing in the instrument
pattern to affect.
- SAR Binbrook, One Two Eight
copy.
- BIN Rescue One Two Eight,
report airfield in sight.
- SAR Wilco, One Two Eight. Just
for the medic's information, the pilot's probably got a little bit
of shock setting in at this time.
- BIN Did you say shock?
- SAR Yes, that's the only thing
we can see wrong with him. There's a slight cut above the left eye
from the visor, but shock is just gently beginning to set in.
- BIN Roger.
- SAR Binbrook Director, Rescue
One Two Eight, just for advance notification, has there been any
information about the aircraft wreckage
- BIN One Two Eight, sorry, I was
talking on a land line, will you say again please.
- SAR Do you know whether we'll
be tasked to investigate the aircraft wreckage? Do you have an
approximate position for it?
- BIN I have a position. I'll
speak with D&D. I believe there is somebody out there already.
- SAR Roger, we'll remain on this
frequency. The airfield's in sight at this time. Do you wish us to
change?
- BIN Affirmative, the Tower
frequency is two four two six five.
- SAR Two four two six five, One
Two Eight
- SAR Binbrook Tower, Rescue One
Two Eight, visual to field, join via domestic site.
- BIN Rescue One Two Eight,
Binbrook Tower, clear join twenty one right, QFE one zero zero six.
The circuit clear, are you familiar with Binbrook?
- SAR Reasonably so, I've been
here before.
- BIN You'll be parking on the
northern end of the ASP.
- SAR Copy, One Two Eight.
- SAR One Two Eight, will you
confirm there will be an ambulance waiting for us?
- BIN Rescue One Two Eight,
that's affirmative, and doctor.
- SAR Copy that, One Two Eight.
- BIN Rescue One Two Eight, the
ambulance is parked on the ASP just to the right of the tower.
- SAR Roger, visual.
- BIN One Two Eight, you are
clear to land, surface wind two four zero, twelve knots.
- SAR OK.
TAPE ENDS
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