AFM aircraft crash lands in Gozo - 5 Aug., 2007
An Armed Forces of Malta Bulldog TMk1 (tail number AS0020) 2-seater aircraft crash landed near Dwejra in Gozo on the 5 Aug., 2007 at about 7.30 p.m. The crew members were pilot-in-command, Warrant Officer 2 Mark Brincat and flight technician Lance Bombardier Kevin Borg, suffered slight minor injuries apart from seat belt bruises. WO2 Brincat needed two stitches on his nose while Lance Bombardier Borg suffered a black eye and a small cut next to one of his eyes. They were airlifted by an AFM Alouette helicopter to St Luke's Hospital to be treated for shock.
The single-engined Bulldog TMk1, reg.-number AS0020, which was on a coastal patrol, was extensively damaged. An AFM Air Wing emergency team was deployed to the site of the incident by helicopter. AFM Commander, Brigadier Carmel Vassallo was on site soon after the incident. Other members of the AFM were busy bringing in 60 illegal immigrants into Haywharf. Police were informed of their arrival at 2015CEST.
An eye witness told The Times that the aircraft was seen climbing close to the Azure Window at Dwejra when it suddenly seemed to stall and ended up in an uncultivated field - a bird-trapping site - called Santu Pietru, which lies between Dwejra and San Dimitri. "I heard a loud metallic sound and then all I could see was a cloud of dust rising out of the field where the aircraft landed. The aircraft flipped over with the engine jutting out of it and one wheel torn off" he said.
A magisterial inquiry as well as an AFM internal technical inquiry were conducted. No information was made available as to the cause of the incident. However, a micro burst -- a strong sudden downward thrust of wind -- probably caused the crash, according to sources familiar with aviation. Pilots contacted by a local Maltese newspaper said that flying in Sunday's weather conditions meant that pilots had to keep in mind the potential danger of such a microburst -- a meteorological phenomenon where a shaft of cold air plunges to the ground from high up in the atmosphere, hits the earth and fans out in all directions. This makes a low-flying aircraft prone to flying into a strong headwind, then a downdraft, and then a strong tailwind, robbing it of lift and causing it to sink rapidly.
The two aircrew only managed to survive because the aircraft did a cartwheel after its right wing hit the ground, which slowed its momentum instead of smashing into the surface of the land or sea. Its engine broke off from the fuselage. Aviation industry sources called the incident nothing short of a miracle.Aviation enthusiasts said the way the Bulldog landed certainly saved the crew's life, as the cockpit did not touch the ground before it came to rest. Most probably the aeroplane landed on a wing, cartwheeled and landed on the engine, which broke off, then touched the other wing, crashed on the tail and came to rest upside down. This tumultuous landing comes as no surprise, as the Bulldog has a stalling speed of 72 kilometres per hour with flaps up. The Bulldog is most probably beyond repair.
The Bulldog is used by the AFM for coastal patrol, surveillance and training, while the RAF used it as a basic trainer. It has a wing span of 10.11 metres and an overall length of 7.08 metres. It can sustain 169 kilometres an hour cruise speed and has a maximum speed of 176 kilometres an hour when flying at sea level.
The AFM has five of this type of aircraft as part of its fleet. Purchased from the Royal Air Force by the AFM in 2000, these aircraft cannot cover long distances because of their single engine. Built by Scottish Aviation and with the RAF being the largest customer, an order for 130 Bulldogs was placed in 1972. The Bulldog was used extensively by the RAF as a basic trainer. Their market prices are up to Lm16,000 (EUR37270).
Crash landings in Malta became a rarity after the end of WWII. Since then, the two best remembered fatal aviation accidents were the one on 14 October 1975 and the other on 10 September 2006. The accident in 1975 occurred over Zabbar, when an RAF Vulcan bomber-aircraft exploded in midair after it had failed to land at Luqa, killing five of its seven crew members and a woman who was walking along a street. Some 20 Zabbar residents were slightly injured. The other accident happened during the Malta Aero GP which was held over Marsamxett Harbour, Valletta. An Extra 200, piloted by Irishman Eddie Goggins, chewed the tail off Swede Gabor "the wild one" Varga's Yak 55. Goggins managed to bail out, but Varga, who was trapped in his aircraft, slammed into the sea and died within minutes.
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VULCAN XM-645 CRASH IN MALTA 14 th OCTOBER 1975by joluqa11,457 views
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