Google Earth Community: South African Air Force (SAAF) Shackleton Crash

A SAAF SHACKLETON LOST AND 'DIES' IN THE DESERT SANDS'

IT WAS PITCH BLACK. THERE WAS NO HORIZON. WE JUST FLEW UNTIL WE HIT SOMETHING. IT'S AN ANXIETY ATTACK THAT I NEVER EVER WANT TO RELIVE....!'As one of only two such aircraft still flying, the refurbished Shackleton was on its way to take part in an air show in Britain when disaster struck...Fourteen years ago the South Africans who crash-landed this plane in the Sahara Desert were rescued with the help of a message dropped from the sky and a rebel movement. All that's left of the SA Air Force Shackeleton 1716, is the grey coloured wreckage forever abandoned in the sand.'No way will you ever hear that sound again,' said mission commander Hartog 'Horace' Blok. He was reminiscing over the long-gone sound of the Shackleton's four Rolls Royce Griffon engines.'The sound those engines make is just so unique...It's a sound that nothing can emulate, it's a beautiful sound.' Blok is now involved in aviation in the private sector.In July 1994 the Shackleton- known as Pelican 16, had been refurbished in a huge project, and the team was flying from SA to England to take part in a series of airshows. At the time The Star reported the aircraft was one of only two airworthy Shackletons left in the world, and had about 1000hours of airframe time left before being permanently grounded. It had been used for maritime patrols off the SA coast until a few years before it's last trip.En route to the Enlish airshows, at night over the Sahara, the Shackleton had engine trouble and pilot Eric Pienaar had to crash land at 1:40am.'It was pitch black. There was no horizon....we just flew until we hit something. It's an anxiety attack that I never want to relive...!' remembered Blok.Driven by terror of fire, they fled from the plane and scattered. Blok blew a whistle to get everyone together and, joining hands, they counted all 19 occupants. Only two were slightly injured. Still holding hands to stay together, one survivor led them in the Lord's Prayer - a ritual re-enacted at the survivors' union every year.They had sent mayday messages shortly before crashing, but after that, they lost radio contact. On the ground they set off a satellite-linked signal beacon- initially ignored by rescuers who disbelieved a signal from the Sahara.At sunrise, they attracted the attention of a French naval plane from Moroccoby burning a tyre. The French plane couldn't land, but eventually got help by writing a note, shoving it into a plastic Coke bottle and dropping it on a UN team in two vehicles in the desert.....'...one aircraft has crashed near your position - 19 persons on board. Position 015/10km from you. We try to contact you on frequency 1215 or 243 MHZ. GPS position 2238 north 01314 west.' was written in the note.Blok said the UN team fortunately included someone who spoke English, so could read the note. Horrified at the prospect of 19 people mangled in an air crash, the UN team rushed to the scene.....'and there were the South Africans, beers in hand...' said Blok.The crash site was near Agwanit in the Western Sahara, for years in dispute between Morocco and the Polisaro Front, a Sahrawi rebel movement working for independence for the region.The Shackleton survivors were helped by the Polisaro, even though SA did not recognise its government-in-exile until 10yrs later. The territory is still disputed.'They took extremely good care of us. Within hours, all of us had been picked up. The last one of us left the crash site at 11:45am local time,' Blok said.The plane was written off as too difficult to salvage. Now all that remains in the desert is the wreck of the grey-and-white plane, one of the last Shackletons to fly.(Louise Flanagan - The Star Wednesday 23July 2008 p12)

Edited by Punkfan (07/24/08 04:10 AM)