Crash Site RAF Vulcan 24 October 1958 (Detroit, Michigan)

USA / Michigan / Grosse Pointe Park / Detroit, Michigan / Ashland Street
 historical layer / disappeared object  Add category
On 24 October 1958, Vulcan B1 XA908 of No. 83 Squadron was en route from Lincolnshire, England to Lincoln, Nebraska ("Lone Ranger" Exercise) when it crashed following a complete electrical systems failure. All six crew members were killed. No one on the ground was injured; the aircraft impacted at a steep angle, resulting in a relatively small impact area.

The failure occurred at around 30,000 ft (9,100 m) and the backup system should have provided 20 minutes of emergency power to allow the aircraft to divert to Kellogg Airfield, at Battle Creek, Michigan, or one of several airports in the Detroit area. Due to a short circuit in the service busbar, backup power only lasted three minutes before expiring and locking the aircraft controls. XA908 then went into a dive of between 60-70° before it crashed, leaving a 40-ft (13 m) crater in the ground, which was later excavated to 70 ft (21 m) deep in an unsuccessful attempt to find the cockpit of the aircraft. All six crew members were killed, including the co-pilot, who had ejected.
The co-pilot's ejector seat was found in Lake St Clair, but his body was not recovered until the following spring.
Although property damage was extensive, there were no ground fatalities and only one person on the ground required hospitalization.
The six bodies were buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Trenton, Michigan; alongside the bodies of 11 RAF student pilots killed during the Second World War in training accidents at nearby Naval Air Station Grosse Ile.

www.hourdetroit.com/Hour-Detroit/July-2008/Mayday/index...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan#Accidents_and_incidents
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   42°21'41"N   82°55'54"W

Comments

  • I was 8 years old and remember the sounds of the jet coming in and the noise of the crash. It is still vivid in my mind.
  • Following the accident the Vulcans main bus bar was divided into two, to prevent a re-occurance.
  • I was ten years old visiting my grandmother who lived at the corner of Dickerson and Essex. We heard the tremendous noise of the crash and followed dozens of people to the crash site about a half mile away. When we arrived there were still fires burning and the smell of jet fuel was very noticeable.
  • I lived near the crash site, heard the plane. I jumped on my bike and rode to the crash scene. The destruction was tremendous. Now I live in Woodhaven, about 1 mile from Oak Ridge Cementary. Each time I pass I see the flag poles and think back on that terrible day. It's been 60 years but to me it seems like just the other day.
This article was last modified 12 years ago