Cool Kiwi pilot avoids civilians as jet crashes

By SCOTT MacLEOD

A Tuakau pilot has won praise for his cool courage after aiming his damaged jet fighter at the side of a Scottish hill - and away from nearby villages.

Flight Lieutenant Brendan Clarke is recovering at a Royal Air Force base with his wife, Michelle, after ejecting from the Jaguar fighter-bomber near the tragic town of Lockerbie.

British Ministry of Defence spokesman Paul Barnard said the crash happened at 10.56 am on Friday (local time) after the RNZAF pilot took off from Coltishall air base in Norfolk on a solo training mission.

Mr Barnard told the Herald that the Mk1 Jaguar was flying at low level when it burst through a flock of seagulls. Both of the plane's Rolls-Royce engines immediately seized and refused to restart.

The Jaguar, which glides poorly, lost all power and was doomed to crash. But despite his low altitude, Flight Lieutenant Clarke was calm enough to aim the £20 million jet away from nearby towns before firing his ejector seat.

The Jaguar, which can fly at 1700 km/h, punched into a paddock at Shieldhill, 8km northeast of Dumfries and 10km from Lockerbie, and narrowly missed a farmhouse.

Mr Barnard said Flight Lieutenant Clarke handled the crisis in textbook fashion and "did very well" to avoid killing civilians.

"It's sparsely populated, but there are nevertheless towns and buildings in the area. He had no power except for inertia, but he steered his plane away."

The crash startled local farmer John Kerr, who was feeding cattle in his shed when he heard a loud bang and ran outside to see the flaming wreck just 300m away.

"I saw the pilot coming down with the parachute and he was all right, although as badly shocked as I was."

Flight Lieutenant Clarke joined the RNZAF in 1985. In January 1999, soon after the death of his father, Matthew, he swapped airforces with a British pilot as part of a two-year exchange programme.

Yesterday his mother, Pat, said she was proud of her son but did not want to talk about the crash.

"We're just pleased that he's okay and has come out of it so well."

In 1988 a Pan American jumbo jet exploded over Lockerbie, killing 259 people on board and 11 on the ground.she said.

Squadron Leader Ric Cullinane of the RNZAF said Flt Lt Clarke was a good pilot and had earned respect in Britain.

He said ejector seats were usually fired by a very fast rocket, and pilots that used them were often injured by hitting parts of their aircraft or landing awkwardly.

"It's quite traumatic, and the sequence is challenging," he said. "I suspect that he's bruised, stiff and sore."

However, the RAF said Flt Lt Clarke was able to walk soon after landing, and was held only briefly in Dumfries Royal Infirmary before being released.

Lockerbie locals are used to airplanes crashing. In 1988 a United States jumbo jet exploded over the town, killing 259 people on board and 11 on the ground.

The Jaguar crash sealed a bad morning for the RAF in Scotland - a £30 million Merlin helicopter plunged into the sea near Skye one hour and five minutes earlier. All five crew were rescued.

Investigators are probing both crashes, although Mr Barnard said Flt Lt Clarke could be flying again within two weeks.

"Psychologically, crashing is not a pleasant experience and it may be best to get him back in a plane as soon as possible."