RAF flop gun's £69m 'accident'
Costly ... jet likeTyphoon that crashed
By JOHN KAY
Chief Reporter
Published: 01 May 2008
AN RAF Top Gun crash-landed a brand new £69million Typhoon fighter – apparently after FORGETTING to put the wheels down.
The state-of-the-art jet was badly damaged as it skidded along a runway on its belly at 130mph.
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An RAF insider said last night: “Everything points to the pilot forgetting to lower the wheels, which does happen from time to time.”
Another possible cause of the accident is landing gear failure – but NONE of the other 48 Typhoons in service has been grounded with such a problem.
The Top Gun and his co-pilot from 17 Squadron climbed unhurt from the 1,500mph jet. They were taking part in a major war games exercise at China Lake air base in California where aircraft can train with live weapons because of the remote location.
The mangled jet will be brought back to Britain to see if it can be repaired.
But the pilot is unlikely to be sacked even if he was to blame. The RAF cannot afford to lose a flier who cost £3million to train.
All the RAF’s Typhoons are based at RAF Coningsby, Lincs. Their role is to defend UK airspace. But some will soon be sent to Iraq and Afghanistan to replace ageing Tornados and Harriers.
The ultra-modern jet has a warning system with a “Bitching Betty” woman’s voice to alert the pilot to problems such as wheels not being lowered for landing.
But it is possible to trip a circuit breaker to switch off the voice. The pilot usually knows the wheels are down when three green lights glow.
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