On 24 October 1958 XA908 crashed at Detroit; the cause of the crash was the AEO nightmare - complete electrical failure. The detail is taken from the file in the National Archive at Kew; BT 233/405.

The route maps will be familiar to crews who have done Rangers to Offutt with high-level simulated bombing using the NBS bomb-plot at Buffalo.

Map of route through high level target and to Mayday call Transcript of last radio transmissions Map showing latter stages of the flight Detail map of flight from Mayday call to Impact American authorities confused over possible survivor Maps for location of co-pilot Diagrams of the impact crater Photos from the crash scene Recognition that the cause was electrical

A few months later XA891 crashed in the UK, also with electrical failure, but on this occasion all the crew ejected safely.  A report on this is being added to the site, all info coming from the official accident report in Kew.

I have used a selection of information from the file, rather than try to include everything. I think many of us were aware of the potential problem caused by a complete electrical failure, but those fears all stemmed from this crash.  Having said that, later Vulcans had a different electrical system, but if it had happened, then it would have had similar consequences, possibly.  One question the Board of Inquiry did not answer was why the crew did not abandon the aircraft; we can only speculate. Were they concerned about where it would crash given the proximity of Detroit?  Did they just not believe that the aircraft would be out of control as quickly as it was? Who can tell.

The report from the Detroit police says that the aircraft crashed on “Ashland, South of Scripps”, but I will use Detroit.

The crew were based out of Waddington;

Flt Lt John Willoughby-Moore

Flt Lt Brian Peacock

Sqn Ldr H.J. Scull

Flt Lt James Donald Watson

Flg Off A.D. Baker

Chief Tech E.C. Evison

The map below shows their route, the high level target after the IP at 1847Z and the position of the Mayday call at 2035Z.

The following is a transcript of the transmissions from 2035Z to 2044Z on October 24, 1958, between Cleveland Approach Control (AC); Twin Bonanza N366 (N366); Royal Air Force Jet 12908 (RAF 908)

N366;  Cleveland Approach Control, 366 by Walter at 35, proceeding to Clark five thousand.

AC;  366 descend to four thousand.

N366;  366 out of five for four.

AC;  366 report leaving Clark Intersection, heading 020 for vector to back course.

RAF 908;   May day, May day.

N366;  Roger, report leaving Clark Intersection, heading 020 for vector to back course.

RAF 908;   (Garbled) descending, passing forty thousand. I have a complete electrical and control failure, over.

AC;  Air Force on Mayday 118.1  will you repeat that please?

RAF 908;   This is RAF Jet 908, whoever answered my Mayday call, say again please.

AC;  The Jet on the Mayday 118.1, this is Cleveland radar and say again if you please, sir.

2036Z

RAF 908;   Cleveland Radio (sic), this is RAF Jet 908, could you give me a heading for the nearest field, this is urgent.

AC;  And Jet 908, what is your present heading and altitude?

AC;  And Air Force Jet 908, give Cleveland Radar a short count 118.1, if you will please.

RAF 908;   RAF Jet 908, passing thirty-four thousand, heading two seven seven, 12908 over.

N366;  366 relaying for the Jet, his heading 277 degrees with a complete electrical failure.

2037Z

AC;  OK, 277 degrees, jet 908, and our DF shows you bearing three four five to the Cleveland airdrome, you say you’re at four zero thousand feet?

RAF 908;   Cleveland this is 908, understand 277, what field is this for?

AC;  I say, you are bearing three four five from Cleveland and what would you estimate your position to be, 908?

RAF 908;   Estimate four two three zero north, eight two zero zero west.

AC;  366 did you copy the last latitude and longitude he gave us?

2038Z

AC;  908, will you give us your latitude and longitude again, please?

RAF 908;   (Unreadable) 908, four two three zero north, eight two zero zero west, we would like to go to Kellogg (unreadable).

AC;  Jet 908, if your - your latitude and longitude there, you’re way north of Cleveland and why don’t you try the emergency frequency two four three zero, two four three point zero, see is a closer - you say - how much fuel do you have?

RAF 908;   908 negative two four three, we have VHF simplex, and we have no electric to work our controls.

2040Z

AC;  Jet 908 do you have Lake Erie in sight?

AC;  Jet 908, are you able to see the ground from your present position.

AC;  Jet 908, Cleveland Radar, do you see the ground from your present position at all?

 2041Z

AC;  Jet 908, Cleveland Radar, are you still with us on 118.1?

AC;  Jet 908, Jet 908, Cleveland Radar, are you still with us on 118.1?

AC;  Jet 908, Jet 908, Cleveland Radar, do you read?

2042Z

AC;  Jet 908, Jet 908, Cleveland Radar.

AC;  Jet 908, Jet 908, Cleveland Radar, do you read?

2043Z

The map below shows the route in the latter stages of the flight with Buffalo on the right of the map and the impact point a little left of centre, below the compass rose.

The map below is from the one above, but shows the last phase of the flight.

The aircraft crash was from high level, with no control, the impact was pretty well vertical, with the obvious consequence that recovery of bodies was difficult. Unfortunately this meant that the Medical Examiner (M.E.) only found human remains for him to say that there were two, possibly three, crew members in the crew compartment.  Part of the escape ladder was found in the wreckage, so it would be fair to conclude that the rear crew had not started an evacuation.  In spite of the ME comment, it is believed that five crew members  were in the aircraft, but the co-pilot had ejected. There was confusion at the time, the examiners could see that the canopy had been jettisoned, but they were unsure of the sequence or if either pilot had left the aircraft.  Some 22 days later the body of the co-pilot was found in the lake and details of location are on the maps below.

I am sure that many of us have heard items relating to various crashes that we have believed to be true. I recently read an account of this crash by a Vulcan crew member from that time who stated that both pilots ejected; they did not, only the co-pilot ejected. The following is from the report; “A sufficient number of ejector seat parts were recovered to indicate that only one ejector seat was in the aircraft at the time of impact”. But it is easy to see where myths can start. The report contains some comments by American authorities at the time; “ARTC reports Cleveland CG (Coast Guard) has picked up a pilot and he is safe”; 30 minutes later “ARTC - pilot  reported picked up and confirmed Coast Guard has pilot”, but 25 minutes after this “Report of pilot pick up is now definitely not confirmed and Coast Guard unable to determine source of report”. It is easy to see how rumours start.

These two maps show the seat location and recovery of the body of the co-pilot.

Diagrams of the impact crater.

The following two photographs are from the file and show the kind of built up area that the aircraft came down in.  It also gives an indication of the relative smallness of the crash area, probably because the aircraft came down pretty much vertical.

On the 8th November 1958 there was a letter from one of the team investigating the accident which points to the cause as electrical failure.

“Further to my previous letter it is now certain that the loss of control of this a/c was due to electrical failure. We have recovered all the main fuses, but visual examination has revealed no evidence of burning on any of them.  Examination of the two generators so far recovered shows them not to have been rotating at the time of impact - (condition of turbine blades on all engines suggests low RPM condition).

I had these generators examined by specialists in the electrical, bearings and metalurgy departments of Wright Patterson Field and all agreed that the armatures were not rotating upon impact.” The letter goes on; “Having now established beyond doubt that two of the four generators were not rotating at the time of impact, it is considered vital to determine if practicable the condition of the other two generators, and although the crater has been filled in, arrangements are in hand to re-commence excavations in order to continue the search for them.”

The seriousness of the situation was summed up towards the end of the letter; “As I see it now if we succeed in recovering all the generators and find that they were inoperative at the time of impact then it is possible that all Vulcans may need to be grounded until the problem is resolved and positive action taken to ensure that such a catastrophic situation cannot occur again.”

Grounding the deterrent would have been a big decision.

The next page has further details on the technical nature of the problem. Although I initially trained as an Apprentice at Halton on Aircraft Electrics, that is a long time ago, and pretty much forgotten.  I am sure that any Crew Chiefs or AEOs who read this will get more from it than I do.  There are no conclusions of my own, all of the technical findings are from the file, but it would be interesting to hear any ‘techie’ comments from those more qualified than myself to make those comments.