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Registration
or Serial: XF702
Operator:
Royal Air Force
(206 Squadron)
Operating Base:
RAF Kinloss / RAF Forres
(satellite
of Kinloss)
Base
Location (RAF
Kinloss): Forres, Morayshire. 3 miles from Forres; 12 miles from
Elgin; 27 miles from Inverness.
Current
Airport Status: Operational
Military Airport
Current
Airport Name:
RAF Kinloss (IATA:
FSS; ICAO:
EGQK)
(Principal airport data courtesy of
John Woodside,
A
Catalogue of UK Airfields)
Aircraft Type Nickname:
"The Shack"; "The Growler";
"Bear Hunter", and others.
Aircraft Type & Background
The Avro
Shackleton was intended to fulfil the role of a long range maritime
reconnaissance aircraft and patrol bomber, replacing the Liberators
and Catalinas that were used during WWII. The Shackleton was based
to some extent on the Avro Lincoln bomber, but was equipped with 4
Rolls Royce Griffon piston engines with contra-rotating propellers.
Sound proofing was required as the Griffon power plants were very
noisy.
Entering
service in 1957, the Shackleton M.R.3 variant featured here carried
extra fuel in tip tanks at the end of the wings. Unlike earlier
variants with their tail-dragging landing gear, the M.R.3 was
equipped with tricycle landing gear.
The later
(Phase 2) M.R.3 Shackletons were equipped with additional Armstrong
Siddeley Viper turbojet engines to be used during take-off. However,
the
strain of these engines on the airframe shortened the lifespan of
this variant.
Shackletons continued in service with the RAF until being replaced gradually by Hawker Siddeley/British Aerospace Nimrods.
Aircraft Accident Details
This
Shackleton had departed from RAF Kinloss on a routine training
exercise with a crew of eleven and two passengers. However, not long into the flight, the pilot experienced
low cloud and dense fog, accompanied by severe turbulence and icing of the aircraft wings.
Very soon afterwards, the Shackleton ploughed into
Creag Bhan, about a
mile from Lochaloirt in Kinloch-Ailort (Inverness-shire). The
aircraft struck the ground with such velocity that it disintegrated
completely, leaving only small fragments of wreckage strewn over a
very wide area. The largest remaining piece from the Shackleton was
little more than 1.8m (6ft) long.
On being alerted to the accident at 14.35hrs. on
21 December 1967 by Officer Commanding (OC), FW, Kinloss, 15/21
Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team (Kinloss MRT) left their base for the 3
hour journey to the crash site. At the scene, they were joined by 22
Leuchars MRT and Fort William Police. The recovery operation
continued from 21 December 1967 until 8 January 1968, hampered on
occasions by very bad weather.
'Andy' Anderson—one
of the Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team members—reports
that instructions were given to recover the aircraft's 'black box'
(in reality, the orange-cased flight data recorder). This is
interesting, as—unlike
commercial aircraft—military
aircraft were not generally equipped with either FDR's or CVR's.
Over the
next few weeks, the wreckage fragments were recovered and taken
to RAF Kinloss for further examination.
All 13
members of the crew perished in this accident. These were:
Casualty List
From 206 Squadron RAF:
-
Sqn Ldr Michael Charles
McCallum
(33), Pilot
-
F/O Terence Charles
Swinney
(25),
Co-Pilot
-
F/O David John
Evans
(22), 3rd Pilot
-
Flt Lt
Bruce George Wishart Mackie (33),
1st Navigator
-
F/O Ralph Joseph
Fonseca
(27), 2nd Navigator
-
Sgt Malcolm Arthur
Jones
(27), Air Engineer
-
F/O John Verner
Young
(31), Air Electronics Officer
-
Flt Sgt David Jones
Harris
(30),
Air Electronics Operator
-
Sgt Michael Barry
Bowen
(23), Air Electronics Operator
-
Sgt Charles Peter
Matthews
(33),
Air Electronics Operator
-
Sgt Kenneth Browne
Hurry
(26), Air Signaller
From RAF Kinloss Flying Wing:
(Travelling as
passenger)
From HQ 1 Group:
(Travelling as
passenger)
Some of
the crew were buried at Kinloss Abbey.
In 2007, a
commemorative tablet was placed near the site of the accident.
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Accident Date
21 December 1967
Accident
Site
Creag Bhan
(510m /1,673ft)
Region: Highland
(Kinloch-Ailort
/ South Morar)
Nearest
town or village: Arieniskil,
Lochailort
OS Grid Ref:
NM 794839
(impact crater)
Present Condition
At the
time of the accident, the aircraft disintegrated into very small
fragments, scattered over a wide area. Most of these fragments were
recovered and removed to RAF Kinloss, although some signs of the
impact crater may still be seen.
At
present, a stone cairn and memorial plaque mark the site of
the accident.
Related Links
Forums, Organisations, &
Societies
Museums
RAF & Associated Links
Video Link
Other Links
Reminiscences of 'Andy' ('Boots') Anderson
(Based on information kindly provided
by Thomas 'Andy' ('Boots') Anderson, then an RAF Sergeant and member
of RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team)
It was the
morning of 21 December 1967. Andy's young son had just
managed to lock himself in the bathroom. Later that day, a
telephone call alerted Andy to the Shackleton incident, and
he left to attend the callout of Kinloss Mountain Rescue
Team (Kinloss MRT).
Involving a
journey of about 120 miles, it took over 3 hours to reach
the area nearest to the accident. Initially, however, Andy
was unable to join the other Team members. Gp Capt Mason, an RAF
Pathologist, had arrived at the scene without the necessary
winter hill-climbing gear. Thus, Capt Mason decided to
'requisition' Andy's equipment in order to begin his work at
the crash site. Later, however, Andy was able to join other
members of Kinloss and Leuchars MRT's working on the hills.
Instructions were
issued to search for the Shackleton's 'black box', although
it is not known whether this device [if fitted] was
recovered intact.
Recovery
operations continued by day. Nights were spent relaxing at
the Shiel Inn (?) Andy used his moped to travel from the
hillside area to the village.
Some Team members
camped out on the hills at night, or slept in a railway
bothy made available by British Rail.
Great hospitality
was shown to the members of the RAF Mountain Rescue Teams
and others by Mrs. L. P. Cameron-Head
of Inverailort Castle. On one occasion, this kind hostess
provided the RAF Teams with two haunches of venison.
(During WWII,
Inverailort Castle had been used as a Naval Centre for
officers.)
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