Fighter Aviation Topics, Page 2

Draken crash 131 on 7th May 1986 By Capt. Håkan Lundqvist (Via Stefan Wembrand) (Or how to get on board the Swedish ferry to Grenå without a ticket). Wednesday on 7th May 1986 I took of as wingman to Jan-Erik Halvardsson for an air defence sortie at low level in J2 sector outside the west coast of Sweden. Our target "the enemy" took off a few minutes before us. We were confronted to a bad radio connection when we changed over to the fighter controller and was mainly guided to enemy contact by data link. Our targets started their attack run from a point between Anholt and Läsö (Danish islands) and headed towards an imaginary target at the coast line. The first intercept contact went well and when we had defeated the "enemies" we ran out southwards to a new stand by area. A little more than two years ago I started my GFSU (Grundläggande Flygslags Utbildning = The years after basic training when you learn to use the tactical aircraft type you're assigned to, spent at a regular squadron) at F10 Wing and now convinced that I was a full-fledged fighter pilot. When we got our steering orders via the data link towards a new "enemy" heading towards the Swedish west coast in a north westerly bearing to us, I felt damned superior. I was invulnerable and enjoyed the thought of throwing myself into a battle to our "enemies" again. The start of the second intercept became somewhat more bothersome. All of the time we got new steering data and when we at last had visual contact with our target aircraft they were already turning back from their target and heading west at an altitude of around 100 metres. My pair leader "Halvar" (J-E Halvardsson) turned in towards the first pair but was not able to remain a sight bearing. Meanwhile I have pulled up to gain height and was about 1000 metres above him and said over the radio that I was in a position to intercept, "he is yours", he replied. He then turned towards the next target pair. In the same moment as I funnel rolled down towards my target aircraft its pilot (Ola Wiberg) got visual contact of my pair leader and made a breaking turn manoeuvre to the right immediately followed by a steep climbing left turn. I changed weapon from the Sidewinder to the gun and was just going to put the pipper on my target when my aircraft warned me by a shaking. In my eagerness to manoeuvre into a shooting position I had left my brain back at the squadron and passed right through Olas vortices. My aircraft pitched up and turned around its longitudinal axis with the nose pointing nearly vertically up in the sky. At Europe ferry II a few kilometres from our fighting area, heading from Varberg (Sweden) to Grenå (Denmark), boatsman Sven Nykjaer was watching the fight and later told the crash investigation commission that "one aircraft started to flutter as when you throw a mirror up into the air". Its me, who is sitting in this fluttering aircraft and damns my own stupidity. I have been training the recover from superstall before but never at this low level. During this lapse of moment Halvar asked me if I had defeated my targets, my answer was a definite no, at the same time as I thought that I have defeated myself. At the same time as I felt the aircraft was recovering from the superstall I realised that the altitude was not enough. The aircraft was going to plunge into the sea and I did not want to be a part in this, so I told Halvar over the radio that I was forced to bail out and immediately pulled the ejection handles to be kicked out of my aircraft. Later Halvar told that the only word he heard over the radio was "I". Apparently I was in such a hurry that I lost my grip on the stick and the transmission button in the beginning of my radio message and continued to talk to myself. Directly after the ejection I felt a strong spinal pain (I suffered from a vertebra compression which made me around 5 millimetres shorter). However this meant nothing to how blissful I felt when my chute deployed and I understood that I also survived this dramatic adventure but it was not over yet. When I started to apprehend my situation I was at a rather low altitude so there was very little time to enjoy the parachute flight. I immediately started to prepare myself to the landing by loosen my chest strap and get rid of my oxygen mask. After my landing into the water I blew up my dingy, entered it and started to empty it from water with my helmet. Meanwhile during this, my friends started to circle above me and I waved to them to show that I was OK, at the same time as I hoped they would look out to avoid a collision. Suddenly I discovered a huge ferry heading directly towards me. This would be really ironical, I thought, to be drowned by the ferry we used as a "landmark" during our fight after have been saved by parachute from a jet fighter. But then I noticed that the ferry was directed towards me by my still flying friends tipping their wings while making low level pass by of the ferry. It stopped a few hundred meters away from me and launched a life boat. I had the feeling that our rescue helicopter from F10 Wing was to arrive soon to pick me up, so I felt a little embarrassed about all these sailors having so much trouble just for me. But when they got to me laying in my dingy and asked if I wanted to follow them on board, I decided to accept their invitation and got over into their life boat. When we returned to the ferry some of the crew men started to hoist our life boat up but due to some malfunction in the machinery we stopped hanging just above the water. Every time a wave rolled by we were lifted up to immediately fall down with a jerk trough of the waves. I experienced these exercises extremely painful in my already wounded spine and looked longing down into the sea and wondered what everybody would think if I said, thanks for me, and jumped back into the sea again. However they got quickly control of the equipment again and hoisted us up on to the deck. When I entered down at the ferry deck a crowd of passengers were standing there giving me applauds! I waved my hand a little bit silly at them feeling unusually stupid. Imagine to get applauds when you just lost a jet fighter! I was invited up to the bridge where captain Stig Ekström saluted me welcome on board and asked me if I there were something I would like, when I asked him what they got, he fling his arms about and said with a laugh: "we got everything"! I grinned and thought that this was certainly better than lying in a dingy. At this moment the F10 helicopter arrived and started to hover above the ferry. I thanked the captain and told him that I unfortunately had to say no to his offer and leave. He said :" You are welcome to take a ride with us anytime but it will probably go easier if You get on board while we still are in the harbour". A funny detail during these circumstances was that Capt. Stig Engström the day before my visit on his ferry had a speech to another captain in this shipping company and decided to get in touch with the helicopter crew at F10 Wing in order to arrange an emergency exercise and there I came from the sky as it was ordered by someone. I went out to the afterdeck and was soon winch up into the helicopter which was flown by Capt. Lithvall and Gustavsson and followed back to F10 for medical examination. From the moment I left the aircraft until it plunged into the sea it took around 3-5 seconds. What had happened if I had not pulled the handles when I did? Well, that had really destroyed my day. Ronneby on 6th May 1997 Capt. Håkan Lundqvist (Via Stefan Wembrand)

Go back to Fighter Aviation Topics page   Home Latest Topic | Air Warfare | Conferences/AirShows | Fighter Tactics | Fighter Aircraft | Missiles | Fighter Aviation Topic | Fighter History | Warbirds | News Links | Current News | Links | Physiology | Photo Gallery | Bibliography | SIIVET - Wings | What's New J Lindberg Copyright © 1997-2006 Fighter Tactics Academy. All rights reserved. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders. Revised: joulukuu 31, 2005.