Avro Shackleton XF702

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Aircraft Type Photo

Pre-accident photo of XF702, the Shackleton featured on this page.

BELOW: An Avro Shackleton in flight.

an avro shackleton in flight

Photo: 1970. Released by the author to the public domain under Wikimedia Commons licensing arrangement.

Aircraft Type and Background

RAF Avro Shackleton B (Bravo) MR Mk.3 / XF702

Aircraft Type Nicknames: "The Shack"; "The Growler"; "Bear Hunter", and others.

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 four 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 a 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 just taken off 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 afterward, the Shackleton ploughed into Creag Bhan, about a mile from Lochailort 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.

The impact scar is still visible, a short way off the Right of Way from Arieniskill to Meoble [map], and at a height of 213m / 700ft. (See the Moidart Local History Group website for further details.)

Recovery Operation

On being alerted to the incident 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, the were joined by 22 Leuchars MRT and Fort William police. The recovery operation continued from 21 December 1967 until 8 January 1968, hampered on frequent occasions by very bad weather.

'Andy' Anderson--one of the Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team members--recalls that instructions were given to recover the aircraft's 'black box' (in reality, the orange-cased flight-data recorder and cockpit voice recorder). This is interesting, as--unlike commercial civil aircraft--military aircraft were not usually 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.

Reminiscences of 'Andy' ('Boots') Anderson

(The following information was kindly provided by Thomas 'Andy' ('Boots') Anderson, then an RAF Sergeant and member of RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team.)

While at home on the 21 December 1967, I received a telephone call alerting me to the Shackleton incident. I then left home to attend the call-out of RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team, of which I was a member.

Involving, as it did, a journey of about 120 miles in winter conditions, it took over 3 hours to reach the area nearest to the accident. Initially, however, I 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 'requisitioned' my equipment in order to begin his work at the crash site. Later, however, I was able to join other members of Kinloss and Leuchars MRT's working on the hills.

Instructions had been issued to search for the 'black box', [although it is not known whether this device, if fitted, was recovered intact].

Recovery operations continued by day. Nights were spent at the Sheil Inn. I used my 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.

During the recovery, great hospitality was afforded to the members of the RAF MRT's and others by Mrs L P Cameron-Head of Inverailort Castle. (During WWII, Inverailort Castle had been used as a Naval Centre for officers.)

Aircraft Crew / Passenger Casualties

All 13 crew members died in this accident. These were:

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 John 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)

Sqn Ldr Harry Harvey (46), Air Electronics Officer

From HQ 1 Group:

(Travelling as passenger)

P/O Iain Campbell MacLean (age unknown)

Some of the crew were buried at Kinloss Abbey.

In 2007, a commemorative tablet was placed near the site of this accident (see under Crash Date/Site above-right for text of this plaque)

Crash Site Photos

There are no crash site photos for this aircraft at the moment.

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Crash Date / Site

Accident Date: 21 Dec 1967

Accident Site:

Creag Bhan

(510m / 1,673ft)

Region: Highland (Kinloch-Ailort / South Morar)

Nearest town or village:

Arieniskill, Lochailort

Nearest large towns:

Fort William (E) or Mallaig (NW)

OS Grid Ref. NM 794 839 (impact crater)

GPS Ref: N/A

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.

Commemorative Plaque: A memorial plaque at the crash sites reads:

"This Cairn marks the site where Shackleton Mk3 XF702 of No 206 Squadron Royal Air Force crashed on 21 December 1967 with the loss of 13 crew."

Nihil Nos Effugit

(See Moidart Local History Group for a photo of this plaque.)