SAAF Avro Shackleton 1716 "Pelican 16"

Mauritania / Tiris Zammur / Fdayrik /
 crash site, interesting place, aircraft crash site
Pelican 16 was the first Avro Shackleton built for the South African Air Force and the first to go into service upon its delivery on August 18th, 1957. Eventually joined by seven other airframes, Pelican 16 formed part of the SAAF's 35 Squadron and for the next 27 years served as part of South Africa's Air Force patrolling the sea lanes around the Cape of Good Hope.

Idled by a combination of airframe fatigue and lack of spares due to apartheid-era embargoes on South Africa, Pelican 16 and the balance of the SAAF's Shackleton fleet were placed into storage by 1990. Restored to flying condition by volunteers in 1994, Pelican 16 was offered to take part in a multi-stop air show tour in the UK and departed South Africa for England on July 12th, 1994.

Flown by a group of active SAAF pilots, Pelican 16 was operating over the Sahara desert in temperatures exceeding 38*C/100*F on the night of July 13th when her #4 engine began to overheat from a coolant leak and had to be shut down. Moments later, a bolt connecting her two contra-rotating propellers in her #3 engine failed, causing the assembly to overheat and melt and leaving the fuel-laden plane without any functional engines on its right wing. Left no option but a controlled ditching in the desert below, Pelican 16's pilots successfully belly-landed their aircraft on flat sands where it slid to a stop at this location. Though none of the crew were injured by the landing, all 19 men were miles from any assistance and in the middle of an active warzone. Through the next several days, the crew of Pelican 16 made their way to the safety of friendly forces and returned safely to South Africa.

Today, the wreckage of Pelican 16 still remains where she came to a stop on the night of July 13th, 1994.

www.af.mil.za/news/2006/175.htm
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Shackleton
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   22°37'49"N   13°14'14"W

Comments

  • The last paragraph should read ... July 13th 1994.
  • This is actually in Western Sahara.
This article was last modified 10 years ago