TWOCing a Hercules

[2fast748]

Never heard this story before:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-433481...

[pfsv427sc01]

I heard a similar story many years ago that exactly matches this report. I was told that it was shot down by a Lightening as they couldn't risk it coming down over a populated area.

Whether true or not, I always discounted it as folklore.

[Ayahuasca]

Chance of some amateur scuba divers finding out the cause of the crash?

Not huge.

[h4muf]

[karma mechanic]

Just reviving this thread - there's a more detailed article on it now:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-43800089

[The Brummie]

What I don’t understand is how, 50 years ago, the guy telephoned his wife.

Mobile phones, like the internet, didn’t exist so from where did he call his wife? From the cockpit of a Hercules?

Just doesn’t make sense.

And would the RAF really shoot down a US aircraft?

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

The Brummie said:

What I don’t understand is how, 50 years ago, the guy telephoned his wife.

Phonepatch via HF.

[The Brummie]

Thank you. Being non military I had no idea how he might have made a call.

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

During my time on the Herc we had any number of HF phonepatch units. Eg ATFOC at RAF High Wycombe (Air Transport Flight Operations Centre), airline based Ops Centres such as Speedbird Bahrain or Hong Kong Dragon, civvie systems such as Portishead Radio, and allied AirForce systems.

I have used Croughton Mil and Lajes Mil (USAF) in order to phonepatch across the world. What you do is call the address on HF and they then phonepatch you through.

When on 1312 Flt down in the Falklands I 'phoned my Ma from overhead Stanley using HF via Portishead Radio.

AFAIK Croughton and Lajes were HF Phonepatch capable in the 1960s.

[V8LM]

USAF report - https://www.sammcgowan.com/meyers.html

[karma mechanic]

And Emma Jane Kirby has carried on working on the story:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-44711694

Good to see a reporter investigating something rather than recycling tweets.

[Eric Mc]

A rather sad story.