Photograph of the plane that crashed on take of at RAF El Adem, Libya.
The cause of this fateful accident - The [co-]pilot's seat slid back on its runners as the aircraft was about to lift off from El Adem, Libya. He called to the captain to take control but let go of the controls before the captain had done this. The aircraft became airborne, stalled, crashed and burnt out. One of the six crew and sixteen of the thirty four passengers were killed.
The [?]pilot was not cleared to handle the Hastings during take off.
Quote -
"Many years have past since the event and my memory has faded a little.
At the time I was a Cpl rigger with 70 Sqn at Nicosia. I stand to be corrected on the following course of events.
WD498 was on the strength of 70 sqn at the time having recently arrived after a Major overhaul in the UK. This particular aircraft, at Nicosia, was the only one fitted with external wing fuel tanks."
Mike Dawdry memory -
We had prepared the aircraft for a paratrooping role prior to its leaving for El Adem. Obviously, when we heard that the aircraft had crashed everybody starts to worry.
However, the following day we had an urgent signal to the effect that all the holes in the seat adjustment rails were to be checked to ensure that the seat locking pins were engaging correctly.
As far as I can recollect it had been discovered that the seat rails had been replaced on major overhaul and that some of the seat locking pins would not engage freely. The pilot on the flight was rather short and I guess would have had the seat in a forward position. (Perhaps not used very often).
From what we learned later, on take-off, the seat had slid fully aft just as he became airborne causing the pilot to pull back on the control column, which stalled the aircraft. This caused the overload wing tanks to rupture as the aircraft hit the runway, the fuel then being ignited by the runway goose neck flares.
Regards
Mike Dawdry His memory of what he did and saw tells it all
Above extracted the below site
Excellent site
http://www.don-simmonds.co.uk/hastings.htm
Except for three soldiers who are laid to rest in Malta somewhere the others were laid to rest in Pembroke Military Cemetery.
There was one unsung hero, that I know of . He was A/Sergeant (Air Quartermaster) Royal Air Force stationed at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. He was a passenger on the fateful flight, he survived the crash but returned to the burning plane to try and save soldiers but died in doing so.
I salute you Sgt Hughes, you will never be forgotten.