Airforces

Abbreviations: D: Date N/U: Nationality/Unit T: Type S: Serial

from RAF Valley, Wales, for a

return flight to its base at RAF

Scampton, Lincolnshire. While

attempting an emergency

landing just before 1330hrs,

the Hawk plunged onto the

runway, caught fire and was

destroyed. The pilot ejected

and escaped with unspecified

injuries, but an engineer in the

back seat, Corporal Jonathan

Bayliss, was killed in the crash.

D: Mar 20

N: Indian Air Force

T: Hawk Mk132

After taking off from Kalaikunda

Air Force Station, West Bengal,

for a routine training sortie, the

pilot ejected due to a technical

fault before the aircraft crashed

into the Subarnarekha dry

riverbed at Mahuladangri village,

Baheragora, on the Jharkhand-

Odisha border. The aircraft was

destroyed by a post-crash fire.

D: Mar 20

N/U: Indonesian Air Force/

Skadron Udara 4

T: NC-212M Aviocar 200

S: A-2108

This aircraft skidded off the side

of a wet runway while landing at

Husein Sastranegara International

Airport, Bandung, at 0942hrs

after a mission to photograph

the Cisanti lake and Citarum

river. Fifteen personnel were on

board, including seven crew and

six officers, but no injuries were

reported. The aircraft came to

rest about 16ft (5m) off the side of

the runway and an image shows it

tilted over on its port side, although

it is unclear whether there was any

serious damage to the airframe.

It took two hours to remove the

aircraft to a maintenance hangar

on the base, where inspection

was to be carried out.

D: Mar 21

N: Royal Saudi Air Force

T: F-15 Eagle

Ansar Allah (Houthi) rebels hit this

aircraft over Saada, northwest

Yemen, with an improvised

surface-to-air missile (SAM) and

although Saudi officials confirmed

the attack, they said the Eagle was

able to return safely to base. Video

released by the rebels suggests

that the weapon was an infrared-

homing Vympel R-27T (AA-10

Alamo-B) air-to-air missile modified

for ground launching. The missile

appeared to hit the F-15, which

then emitted a plume of smoke

and flame, but did not crash. The

Saudi Press Agency quoted the

spokesman for the Saudi-led

coalition, Colonel Turki al-Maliki,

as saying the SAM had been fired

from Saada Airport at 1548hrs local

time but the RSAF F-15 was able

“to deal with the source of fire and

return safely to base”. The Houthis

are known to have been converting

R-27s into makeshift SAMs since

at least last November, when

the Saudi-led coalition released

images of one on a vehicle-

mounted launcher seen during

an aerial surveillance mission.

D: Mar 22

N/U: Indian Navy/INAS 343

T: Heron I

This UAV crashed shortly

after take-off from its base

at Porbander, Gujarat, for

reasons yet to be determined.

D: Mar 22

N: Turkish Air Force

T: F-16

This aircraft crashed during a

routine training flight at around

1830hrs local time in unknown

circumstances near the village

of Ovaören, Nevşehir, Gülşehir

district. The pilot did not eject

and was killed in the crash.

D: Mar 28

N: Kenya Air Force

T: Grob G120A-K

S: KAF-720

This aircraft crashed in an open

area at Kungu Market, Taita

Taveta, following engine problems.

The Grob was destroyed but the

two crew escaped with minor

injuries and were taken to Wesu

District Hospital for treatment.

D: Mar 29

N/U: Chilean Air Force/Escuela

de Aviación

T: T-35 Pillán

This aircraft suddenly fell to

the ground near one of the

hangars on the airfield during

a training flight at Base Aérea

El Bosque. The two crew were

killed. The aircraft, which was

destroyed in a post-crash fire,

was preparing for a display at

the upcoming FIDAE airshow.

D: Mar 31

N: Israeli Air Force

T: Hermes 450 UAV

This UAV crashed between the

villages of Beit Yahuon and

Baraachit, in the Khalit Maryam

area of southern Lebanon. The

wreckage was found by the

Lebanese Army. A statement from

the Israeli military confirmed the

loss, saying it had come down

due to a technical malfunction.

The statement said there was

“no risk of leaked information”.

D: Apr 1

N: Royal Air Force of Oman

T: Hawk Mk166

A pilot was killed when this

aircraft crashed during a routine

training mission. The type or

location was not specified,

but it is believed to have been

a Hawk and the location was

said to be Masirah Air Base.

Additional material from Juan

Carlos Cicalesi, Alfonso Glade,

Scramble/Dutch Aviation

Society and Asagiri Yohko.

The Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB,

Brazilian Air Force) has begun

cannibalising one of its Airbus

C295 transports (designated

C-105 Amazonas in FAB service).

The aircraft will be used as a

source of spare parts for other

C-105s in the Brazilian fleet.

C-105 FAB-2808 was forced

to make an emergency landing

after encountering undercarriage

problems in February 2016. The

airframe was judged to be beyond

repair. Juan Carlos Cicalesi

C-105 cannibalised after

emergency landing

J Castro Collection

J Castro Collection

AFM

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #362 MAY 2018 // 93