On 7th January 1971, in broad daylight, an Avro Vulcan XM610
Bomber soared across the skies of the North-East before crashing into a field
near Wingate in Co.Durham. There was no
loss of life, but the incident has entered local folklore – being especially
vivid in the memories of those children of the local junior school who were
staring up at the roaring aircraft as it fell to earth yards from their
playground.
It all started as a routine practise sortie across the North Sea and the
rural reaches of the Borders, until metal fatigue in one of the engines sent
the warplane and its five-man crew into panic stations. As Captain Bob Alcock ordered his crew to
eject one by one, he wrestled with the controls with ever-increasing
desperation – but all to no avail, the Vulcan giving up the ghost as it
careered across Northumberland and East Durham.
Alcock directed the aircraft sea-ward and ejected. Unfortunately, the Vulcan had other ideas and
dipped downwards, smashing deep into a farmer’s field between Wingate and
Station Town – 100 yards from the aforementioned school. For their attempts to save the plane, and
their efforts to steer it clear of settlements, the crew all received awards –
Alcock gaining the Air Force Cross.
More detail can be found at www.neam.co.uk/wingate.html, with
some interesting comment at www.seaham.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=232
. Eye-witness accounts seem to vary
slightly, and doubts have been cast upon the pilot’s alleged attempts to steer
the plane to a ‘safe’ crash.
An interesting
piece of recent history.
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