Author Topic: Miltary Jet Crash-landing near Dunmore in 1960s?  (Read 10665 times)

Offline mcmahongg

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Miltary Jet Crash-landing near Dunmore in 1960s?
« on: Wednesday 03 March 10 18:04 GMT (UK) »
Anyone know about an incident where two military jets crash landed near Dunmore, Co. Galway in the 1960s. I'd say it was about 1964-65 - I remember seeing the aircraft in a field. The crews escaped injury and were in the area for some time afterwards.

If I remember correctly, they belonged to the airforce of a South American country - Bolivia or Chile I think - and they ran short of fuel while heading to England for servicing.

Thanks for any info.

Gerry


Offline tuamite

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Re: Miltary Jet Crash-landing near Dunmore in 1960s?
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 16 December 10 21:54 GMT (UK) »
Hi Gerry
I am also interested in the plane do you know if there are any pictures
Tuamite

Offline seamus5432

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Re: Miltary Jet Crash-landing near Dunmore in 1960s?
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 26 April 17 17:37 BST (UK) »
Hi Folks IM from Adrigoole Dunmore and I remember well the plane crash landing At the time a lovely Summer evening My brother and I were so involved on putting a steering wheel on a bicycle that we took no haeed of the noise of the plane and our mother shouting Eventully we looked out of the 2nd floor of the Mill we owned just in time to see a plane moving from loeft to right just at eye level If Burkes house was any higher the chemney was gone That got us out of the milllIt flew Nth West for a while and it appeared to be dumping something out of the Plane It  later transpired that the were dumpine nflamable liquid in readiness for a crash landing It cyrcled our house about 3 times and then landed in Burkes field right beside our house We took off across Burkes field to get to the plane Father and mother shouting to get back but at the same time still running themselves I remember getting into the ploane to meet 3 helmetted ETs As they blessed themselves I figured we were safe when they got off the plane t5he field was full of people WE were pushed aside by a Garda and that was a clo0se as we were to getto the plane ever again They were from EQuador and experienced mechanicl trouble on their way to London They had flown UP along the west coast from Shannon were they could not land because of Fog They were looking for a lonf level field and eventually settled for Burkes field in Lissybroder They were lucky when thay touched down The under carriage hid a big submerged Rock the3 effect of this was to slow the plsane down otherwise the woud have overshot the field and gone across the main roan The field was ideal for asuch a landing as it was long wide and on a good gradient After4 all of that the Army came to protect the site and possibly us The plkane was dismantled and taken to Ballykelly Air field near Derry It was the talk of the Parish They had to uproot ESB poles along the rooute and spent a day almost goint around Flemings Corner in the Square in Dunmore The Tuam Herald shoiuld have some pictures of the event

Offline tuamite

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Re: Miltary Jet Crash-landing near Dunmore in 1960s?
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 26 April 17 23:24 BST (UK) »
Hi Seamus
Could you email me at  (*) would love to chat to you about the plane crash in Dunmore
Regards
Tuamite

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Offline mcmahongg

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Re: Miltary Jet Crash-landing near Dunmore in 1960s?
« Reply #4 on: Friday 28 April 17 17:14 BST (UK) »
Hi All

This aircraft was a Canberra, a twin-jet bomber produced by British company English Electric. It belonged to the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE), which had taken delivery of six of the type about 1954, and was on its way from Ecuador to the English Electric (by then part by BAC) plant at Warton in Lancashire for servicing and upgrading when it crash landed in Ireland on 30 Aug 1962. Its planned route was Quito (Ecuador)-Panama City-Washington-Gander-Shannon-Warton.

They had compass trouble, the weather was bad and they lost radio contact with Shannon, so after circling for an hour or two (to burn up or dump fuel) they crash landed in a field at Dunmore near Tuam. There was a crew of three – pilot/commander Colonel Francisco Escobar, a flight engineer and a navigator. They were uninjured in the landing.

I saw the plane the day after it landed. As far as I remember, it was a wheels-up landing in a ploughed field and there little visible damage. The cockpit was covered by a tarpaulin so you couldn't see anything inside, but it was possible to wander around it freely. There was a crewman present to watch over it, who was friendly, but had no English. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera. I've never seen a photo of the aircraft, but there may have been some in the newspapers of the time.

If I remember correctly, the plane was accompanied by a second Canberra which continued on to land safely in Northern Ireland. The plane was dismantled and taken to England for repairs - apparently it flew again and returned to service.

At least one of the Ecuadorian Air Force Canberras was preserved on display in Quito at least as late as 2011: http://www.airliners.net/photo/Ecuador-Air-Force/English-Electric-Canberra-B6/2055898

The Canberra was a very successful design and over 1000 were built. In a service life of over 50 years, Canberras were flown by the RAF up to 2006. Several examples are still flying today, many in private hands:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IS35H8a10E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq7gK7QOeN0

Hard to believe it's 55 years ago this year!

regards

Gerry


Offline tuamite

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Re: Miltary Jet Crash-landing near Dunmore in 1960s?
« Reply #5 on: Friday 28 April 17 23:09 BST (UK) »
Hi Gerry,
Nice to hear from you again. That's a great picture. I was in contact with the pilot a number of years ago . There are a few photos in the newspapers, but no very clear.
Tuamite

Offline mcmahongg

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Re: Miltary Jet Crash-landing near Dunmore in 1960s?
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 29 April 17 11:28 BST (UK) »
Hi Tuamite

Sorry I missed your 2010 post!

Do any of the photos show the serial number of the aircraft (in this case a number like BE-411)?

This landing caused a lot of excitement at the time (I'm originally from Claremorris) - when we heard that a jet bomber had crashed locally! This was just two months before the Cuban Missile Crisis and the fear of the bomb was very real then.

Gerry



Offline tuamite

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Re: Miltary Jet Crash-landing near Dunmore in 1960s?
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 29 April 17 19:31 BST (UK) »
Gerry
I do have the numbers, I'll have to look through my files for them.
Anne

Offline Turk

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Re: Miltary Jet Crash-landing near Dunmore in 1960s?
« Reply #8 on: Friday 17 November 17 15:03 GMT (UK) »
Hi, I came across a photo of this plane at work. The picture isn't great quality, I'm working on getting a better copy off the negative but I'm waiting on some equipment to make that happen.

There's a new twist to the story of this plane. If I'm not mistaken the plane on display in Ecuador that Gerry linked to is the very same plane that crashed in Dunmore. As you can see in the picture I've posted the registration number is the same, the 5 is half covered by the tarpaulin and the number at on the tail fin is hard to make out but they are the same.

Crashed plane 1962 by Michael Burke, on Flickr

tail fin number by Michael Burke, on Flickr