Military confrontations - The strange case of Foxtrot 94 -continued...

At this time a Shackleton which had been on patrol off the Firth of Forth was ordered to hold station around Flamborough Head. Then Staxton Wold re-established contact with Captain Schaffner.

SCHAFFNER: GCI…are you receiving over.

STAXTON: Affirmative 94, loud and clear. What's your condition.

SCHAFFNER: Not too good. I can't think what has happened…I feel kind of dizzy…
I can see shooting stars.

STAXTON: Can you see your instruments, over.

SCHAFFNER: Affirmative, but er…the compass is u/s…

STAXTON: Foxtrot 94, turn 043 degrees, over.

SCHAFFNER: Er…all directional instruments are out, Repeat u/s over

STAXTON: Roger 94, execute right turn, estimate quarter turn, over.

SCHAFFNER: Turning now.

STAXTON: Come further 94. That's good, is your altimeter functioning ,over.

SCHAFFNER: Affirmative GCI.

STAXTON: Descend to 3,500 feet, over.

SHHAFFNER: Roger GCI.

STAXTON: What's your fuel state 94, over.

SCHAFFNER: About 30 per cent GCI.

STAXTON: That's what we calculated. Can you tell us what happened 94.

SCHAFFNER: I don't know, it came in close…I shut my eyes… I figure I must
Have blacked out for a few seconds.

STAXTON: OK 94 standby.

At this time the Shackleton arrived over Flamborough and began circling before XS894 Was vectored into the area by Staxton controllers.

SCHAFFNER: Can you bring me in GCI.

STAXTON: Er hold station 94, over…Foxtrot 94 can you ditch the aircraft, over.

SCHAFFNER: She's handling fine. I can bring her in over.

STAXTON: Negative 94. I repeat can you ditch the aircraft, over.

SCHAFFNER: Yeah…I guess.

SAXTON: Standby 94, over. Oscar 77, over.

SHACKLETON: 77 receiving, over.

STAXTON: 94 is ditching. Can you maintain a wide circle, over.

SHACKELTON: Affirmative GCI, over.

STAXTON: Thanks 77. Standby, 94 execute ditching procedure at your discretion - Over.

SCHAFFNER: Descending now GCI, over.

A period of six to seven minutes elapsed without contact, then suddenly.

SHACKELTON: He's down GCI. Hell of a splash. He's down in one piece though, over.

STAXTON: Can you see the pilot yet, over.

SHACKELTON: Negative, were going round again, pulling a tight one, over.

Two minutes elapsed.

SHACKELTON: The canopy's up…she's floating ok…can't see the pilot, we need a Chopper out here GCI. No sign of the pilot, where the hell is he.

STAXTON: You sure he's not in the water, check your SABRE receptions, over.
(Note Sabre was the search and rescue beacon carried by all aircrew).

SHACKELTON: No SABRE yet, no flares either. Hang on were going round again.

A further two minutes elapsed.

SHACKELTON: GCI over.

STAXTON: Receiving you 77 over.

SHACKELTON: This is odd GCI…She's sinking fast but the canopy has closed again.

STAXTON: Can you confirm that the pilot is clear of the aircraft, over.

SHACKELTON: He's not in it, we can confirm that. He must be in the water
Somewhere, over.

STAXTON: Any distress signals or flares, over.

SHACKELTON: Negative GCI, were going round again, over.

A short time later the shackelton was in touch with Saxton Wold.

SHACKELYON: She's sunk GCI, there's a slight wake where she was, still no sign of The pilot. I say again GCI we need a chopper fast, over.

STAXTON: A whirlwind is on it's way from Leconfield, are you sure there's no sign of The pilot, over.

SHACKELTON: Nothing GCI. The first pass we assumed he was un -strapping. He Must have got out as we went round for the second pass, over.

STAXTON: That's what we were thinking. Maintain patrol 77 he must be out there Somewhere.

SHACKELTON: Roger GCI.

A short time later the search and rescue helicopter arrived and a systematic search of the Area began. Lifeboats from Bridlington and Flamborough arrived and joined the search as the weather began to deteriorate. The search continued overnight and into the next day, without success and without receiving any transmissions from the beacons carried by the pilot and no distress flares were seen at any time.

The following day the Evening Telegraph reported that flares had been seen about 10 miles off shore and the Grimsby trawler Ross Kestrel which had been in the area had gone to investigate, but found nothing.

The missing pilot was not found and at that time no wreckage from the aircraft had been located. Three weeks later the Evening Telegraph reported that the fuselage of the aircraft had been located on the sea-bed and quoted that the ejector seat was still in the aircraft giving rise to the belief that the body of the pilot was still in the aircraft.

On October 7th. divers from HMS Kiddlestone inspected the wreckage and said that Captain Schaffner's body was still in the cockpit, but that was the start of the biggest mystery of all. When the aircraft was brought to the surface and returned to Binbrook, there was no trace of Captain Schaffner. The cockpit was empty.

The wreckage was eventually lifted from the sea some five miles from Flamborough Head and transported in some secrecy to RAF Binbrook.

Air crashes in the North Sea in those were fairly common and much of the wreckage found it's way into Grimsby where the Evening Telegraph reporters were on hand to record the event, but not with XS894.

It was also common practice for crashed aircraft to be taken to the M0D Crash Investigation Branch at Farnborough where detailed examination took place in an attempt to determin the cause of the accidents, but this did not happen with XS894. Instead the remains of the aircraft which were in good condition, were taken straight to Binbrook where it was placed behind shutters in a hanger at the far corner of the base.

The Accident Investigation team from Farnborough arrived at Binbrook in the belief that they were about to start a detailed investigation, one which would leave to a report being submitted to the Ministry Of Defence, to assist with the eventual board of enquiry. But they were in for a surprise.

They were amazed to find many of the cockpit instruments were missing. These included the E2B compass, voltmeter, standby direction indicator, standby inverter indicator and the complete auxiliary warning panel from the starboard side of the cockpit. This was a serious breach of regulations and although the investigation team were told the instruments would be returned shortly, they never were.

The investigators found that there was a revolting smell in the cockpit while the whole aircraft still had a slimy feel to it following it's months immersion in the North Sea.

The ejector seat also seemed to be wrong, and there was a suspicion that it was not the original one fitted to the aircraft when it had taken off on it's last flight from Binbrook. They were given assurances by the officer commanding 5 squadron that the seat had not been tampered with, but some of the investigators were not convinced.

Brian McConnel a former Sergeant who was serving at Binbrook at the time of the incident, said that the cartridge on the seat had failed because of faulty installation, but this contradicted the story of the Shackelton crew who said that they had seen the canopy open. Had any attempt been made to fire the ejector seat, the cockpit canopy would have blown off. It also comes into conflick with the order Captain Schaffner received instructing him to ditch his aircraft. Even though he stated that the Lightening was still handling fine with plenty of fuel left.