ZU-BEX Overberg Air Force Base

[Frikkie]

Date: 14-NOV-2009
Time: 12:15
Type: English Electric Lightning T5
Operator: Thunder City Aircraft Company
Registration: ZU-BEX
C/n / msn: 95011
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Overberg Air Force Base, Bredasdorp, Western Cape - South Africa
Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature: Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport: FAOB (AFB Overberg)
Destination airport: FAOB (AFB Overberg)
Narrative:
During an air display at the annual Overberg Air Force Base fly-in, the Lightning apparently suffered hydraulic problems. While attempting to return to the field and on a long approach to Runway 28, it crashed in a ball of flame starting a veld fire approximately 3km east of the field. At the time of writing there were conflicting reports regarding an ejection, but the pilot apparently reported that he may have to eject on at least two occasions. He then reported that he was ejecting, followed immediately therafter that there had been an ejection failure.

After the crash the air show was stopped and spectators were requested to switch off their cell phones. Some two hours later it was confirmed that the pilot had died in the accident and that his body had been recovered some distance away from the downed aircraft. The air show then resumed and the day ended with the SAAF Silver Falcons Aerobatic Display Team flying the missing man formation in tribute to the pilot Dave Stock, who had accumulated 15,900 flying hours during an illustrious career, not only as an Air Force test pilot, but as a commercial pilot as well.

[Frikkie]

Fighter jet crash in Bredasdorp
Carmen Reddy and Lenyaro Sello | 4 Days Ago

A fighter jet has crashed at an air show in Bredasdorp, in the Western Cape.

It is understood the pilot was in the middle of his flight when he made emergency calls.

“The plane crashed just on the other side of the Overberg Air Force Base, it is still unclear if the pilot is alright,” says Emergency Services’ Kenneth Brooks.

“We understand he was trying to make it back to the air field and I saw it coming out of the sky hitting the ground and a gigantic fire ball erupted,” says one of the spectators.

[Frikkie]

Pilot killed in fighter jet crash identified
Nov 14, 2009 5:44 PM | By Nashira Davids
AN ex-military fighter jet has crashed killing the pilot at an air show in Bredasdorp, Western Cape.The pilot has been identified as Dave Stock.


The English Electric Lightning aircraft exploded after crashing near the Overberg Air Force Base in Bredasdorp. The aircraft was operated by Thunder City in Cape Town, which offers thrill seekers trips in ex military jets.

Thunder City CEO Mike Beachy Head said the the pilot reported having hydraulic failure and was preparing to eject shortly before crashing.

One spectator who didn't want to be named said he watched as the aircraft spiraled towards the ground then disappear in the bushes. "A second or two later I saw a big black smoke mushroom," said the man.

Anzelle Smit, spokesman for Metro EMS in the Western Cape said after almost two hours of searching the pilot's body was found. "He was found outside of the plane not too far from the air force base," said Smit

[Frikkie]

Pilot 'went down with plane'
2009-11-14 22:33

Smoke billows from the scene where a Lightning jet went down during an air show at Bredasdorp, killing the pilot. (Carmen Lorraine Photography)

1.jpg (26 KiB) Viewed 606 times

Johannesburg - A pilot was killed when his fighter jet crashed shortly before he was to have taken part in an air show at Bredasdorp on Saturday.

Dave Stock's historic English Electric Lightning jet apparently had developed a mechanical problem.

"He was in performance when he had a technical problem," said Mike Head, owner of Thunder City.

"The pilot was killed in the crash, but no one on the ground was hurt," he added.

Reuters on Saturday afternoon quoted Lieutenant Colonel Marius van den Heever of the Overberg Air Force Base as saying the aircraft went down as it was busy readying itself for the display.

"Unfortunately the civilian pilot died in the crash. All indications are he went down with the plane."

Thunder City's website says the fighter jet is capable of reaching Mach 2.2, and says Thunder City operates the last two serviceable twin-engined two-seater Lightnings in the world. The jet was part of a fleet belonging to Cape Town's Thunder City that offers civilians flights in ex-military jets.

The first Lightning flew in 1957, and the Britain's Royal Air Force retired the plane in 1988.

[Frikkie]

Dead pilot 'was experienced'
2009-11-15 10:05
Marlene Malan and Karin Burger

Cape Town – “Hydraulic malfunction. I’m bailing out. Ejection seat malfunction.”

These were the last words heard by a former air force pilot before his fighter plane crashed on Saturday at the Bredasdorp air show.

Dave Stock, 46, from Hermanus, died in the accident. Rescuers found remains of his clothing about 10km from the Overberg air force base.

Stock was an experienced pilot who had completed close to 16 000 flying hours and had taken part in more than 100 air shows.

Stock was performing a display flight in a Lightning jet from Thunder City in Cape Town – one of only four in the world – when it crashed.

Investigation pending

Colonel Marius van der Heever, commander of the Overberg air force base, said the Civil Aviation Authority would investigate the accident.

“Right up until the end, Dave had communication with the tower and he was fully conscious when he crashed.”

“There were also indications that he could not eject successfully,” said Van der Heever.

Stock was well-known in flying circles.

Set a record

In 2005, he set the South African speed and height record at the Ysterplaat air show by climbing up to 9 000m in the Lightning in only 1min 43sec.

British magnate Sir Richard Branson chose Stock as his pilot when he wanted to break Stock’s record in June 2006.

It was part of the launch for Virgin Mobile in the country. They missed the record with two seconds.

[Frikkie]

In tribute, Dave flying the single-seat Lightning last night.

[Frikkie]

Rest in Peace, Dave.

[Frikkie]

Only one way to test - eject
2009-11-15 22:57

Erika Gibson

Pretoria - The English Electric Lightning's hydraulic systems are the "life blood" of the plane, which influence just about every single function of the aircraft.

This is how experienced pilots speculated on websites on Sunday, regarding what could possibly have led to the accident in which test pilot Dave Stock - who had about 15 900 flying hours on his record - was killed.

On Saturday the canopy didn't detach and the ejection seat failed to activate, which would usually be the normal order of events. "The only way you can really be sure whether an ejection seat is still in 100% working condition, is to test it," wrote one pilot.

Unfortunately there are very few experts in the private sector who can perform such testing and maintenance.

"The only other way to test it is during an emergency - like on Saturday. And unfortunately if it doesn't work then, it's too late."

Apparently the crashed plane had also experienced some trouble on Friday evening, shortly after it had landed, but this was not considered anything serious.

Another plane from the Thunder City fleet which belongs to Mike Beachy Head, owner of the largest private collector of ex-military jets, did not take off at all on Saturday. This was the Buccaneer which was also supposed to participate in the air show.

Flight safety

According to Brian Emmenis, the air show commentator, the fact that the Buccaneer's performance was cancelled should be seen as an indication of Beachy Head's meticulous approach to flight safety.

Before this accident, the Thunder City fleet had accumulated thousands of accident-free flight hours. Their only other accident was in 1995, when two airline pilots crashed into the ground while performing aerobatics with a Canberra.The accident investigation found that they'd been negligent, since the Canberra was not equipped to perform those particular stunts.

"Mike simply doesn't take any chances. The maintenance of his planes is impeccable. If it weren't for people like him who keep these old war planes in the air, we would never have the privilege of seeing them in flight," said Emmenis.

Many years ago, after a series of accidents, England put a stop to the private ownership of military aircraft, since these planes require specialist maintenance which is not always affordable to private owners.

Pilots say the maintenance of the rocket which activates the ejection chair is also of critical importance, since the propulsion substances have a limited life-span.

Ironically, a lucky draw was to be held on Saturday afternoon and the prize would have been for a member of the public to join the pilot for a flight in the Lightning.

The accident took place before the lucky draw.

[Frikkie]

I love you - doomed pilot
2009-11-16 07:38

Erika Gibson

Pretoria - He was calm, cool and rational right up to the last few seconds - when he realised his beloved plane was about to crash.

"In his last moments Dave told the air traffic controller to tell the people close to him that he loves them," Brian Emmenis said on Sunday.

Emmenis is an air show commentator and was one of the thousands of spectators who stood frozen on Saturday as they watched Dave Stock, one of South Africa's most experienced test pilots, crash in a plume of smoke at the Overberg air force base near Bredasdorp.

The English Electric Lightning fighter plane from Thunder City at the Cape Town International Airport was experiencing serious hydraulic problems.

Stock tried to eject three times, but the ejection seat did not react.

Experts speculated on Sunday whether the hydraulic problem could cause the canopy to fail to detach. The canopy must detach before the ejection seat can be activated.

The accident has yet again rekindled a debate among pilots over the desirability of privately owned old military aircraft.

One of four still flying

This Lightning, which had been used as an interceptor decades ago by the Royal Air Force during the Cold War, was one of the last four in the world still in flying condition. All four belong to Thunder City.

According to Emmenis, Stock took off for his performance on Saturday shortly after 12:00. After his second flyby, he turned away from the crowd, and at that moment the plane started developing problems.

"This is proof of what an extremely professional pilot Dave was: His thoughts immediately went to the crowd of about 40 000 people," Emmenis related.

"From that moment, everything happened within two minutes. Dave maintained contact with the air traffic controller throughout, saying what he was trying to do to overcome the problems. The next moment, the plane "flip-flopped" and plummeted straight down into the ground.

"The crowd became completely silent. Nobody could believe what they were seeing.

"An Augusta helicopter belonging to the air force was in the air immediately, because we didn't know if Dave had eventually been able to eject.

"Two Oryx helicopters with emergency personnel and even divers were sent to the scene, since he might even have ejected over the ocean," Emmenis added.

Missing Man formation

However, it was soon clear that there was no chance that Stock could have survived. The air show's pilots decided to continue with the military part of the programme, and the Silver Falcons, the air force's display team, upheld tradition by performing the Missing Man formation, in which one plane breaks away from the group.

"People were standing around crying openly - everyone was part of the tragedy which took place right before their eyes," Emmenis said.

There was a sombre atmosphere at the base on Sunday, as the pilots left for home.

Above the scene of the accident, one by one, they dipped their planes' wings as they paid their respects to one of the greats among them, who died in his element: in a fighter jet at the speed of sound.

[Frikkie]

[Frikkie]

'I have ejector seat failure'
November 15 2009 at 10:36AM
By Lynnette Johns, Sam Clark, Andrew Ingram and Ian Williams

At first no one realised the seriousness of test pilot Dave Stock's predicament.

Just before noon yesterday thousands of spectators at the bi-annual Overberg Air Show at Bredasdorp had seen Stock take off in the valuable English Electric Lightning supersonic jet, one of four owned by Mike Beachy Head of Thunder City.

But after a few manoeuvres the jet appeared to be in trouble, and Stock flew to a holding area. Air force firetrucks rushed to the runway anticipating a crash landing.

Thousands of spectators watched as the jet flew east and many assumed Stock was releasing fuel to reduce the risk of fire when coming in to crash land.


The commentator announced Stock was having difficulties and the fire trucks were a precaution.

A few minutes later the commentator again announced the arrangements were precautionary. By then Stock was in serious trouble and was trying to eject. He tried three times. Then came his chilling last message: "I have ejector seat failure." The fatal crash followed.

Spectator Lance McIntosh said many people had not realised Stock was in serious difficulties.

"He circled wide, and was approaching the runway when I saw the jet diving and spiralling before it hit the ground."

Seconds later spectators felt a thud, and a huge fire ball was seen kilometres away, followed by plumes of smoke. The crowd went silent and some people were treated for shock.

Air force Oryx helicopters were dispatched to extinguish the flames, which spread to the veld.

Initially it was thought Stock had successfully ejected and an announcement was made to switch off cellphones as they were jamming the networks, which in turn was hampering the rescue party.

But then word spread of his desperate final message.

Stock, who test flew the first locally assembled Hawk fighter trainer aircraft, was a record holder who, with British tycoon Sir Richard Branson as a co-pilot, attempted to better his fighter jet speed record. In 2007 the show, held at Air Force Base Bredas-dorp, was awarded the best air show in the country by Aeroclub SA.

Industry insiders said it appeared the Lightning developed hydraulic problems and while burning off fuel it crashed.

There were reports that Stock had attempted to eject three times.

A spectator said: "He was flying level, dropped a bit in altitude, and then lost control and tumbled to the ground, where the aircraft exploded."

A shocked and emotional Beachy Head said yesterday he had lost a good friend.

Stock, who lived in Hermanus, was a freelance pilot and often worked for Beachy Head. He was in his late 40s, recently divorced, and believed to be the father of two children.

Beachy Head said that until yesterday. Thunder City, based at the Cape Town International Airport, had never had an accident since it appeared in 1996.

"He was a brilliant pilot, a brilliant guy. You could not find a better guy to fly priceless aeroplanes. This is a double tragedy," he said.

Beachy Head said he had no idea what caused the accident and added that the Civil Aviation Authority would investigate.

Thunder City owns the largest private collection of ex-military jet fighters in the world.

In June 2006, Stock and Branson missed setting a new speed record in a fighter jet by two seconds. Branson described the attempt as: "The greatest rush of my life... I've never flown so fast and been handed the controls at 1 000 miles an hour. It was amazing to fly supersonic fast over the Cape and break the sound barrier."

Branson was trying to beat a record Stock set with British businessman John Caudwell at the Ysterplaat Air Show in 2005, when the Lightning reached the 6km-high target in 102 seconds.

In January 2005 Stock and Gordon McClymont, test pilot for the UK aerospace and defence group BAE Systems, performed a battery of tests, including checks of the flight controls on the first locally assembled Hawk fighter trainer. In November 2006, at the Overberg air show Stock took the Lightning to new heights, reaching 6 000m in less than 70 seconds, setting a new All Africa record.

In November 2002, Stock gave a US father and son the ride of their lives when they paid R115 000 for two flights at Thunder City.

San Francisco tourist Maxwell Dever, 61, paid $3 000 (R22 240) for an hour flight in the Hawker Hunter, while son Noah took a $9 000 sortie in the English Electric Lightning which lasted about 45 minutes.

The Lightning, built during the height of the Cold War, holds a number of world climb-to-altitude records and is famous for its vertical climb performance.
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ZU-BEX