Serial	BS098/285
Line Number
First Flight	05.09.83
Model	Tornado-GR.1
Status	Crashed
Comments	crashed 20.07.89 near Bergen/Netherlands, nose wheel failure to retract after take-off followed by loss of engine power. Crew ejected 1,5 miles west of Laarbruch. Aircraft crashed in a field near Bergen (Limburg), Netherlands and burned out. The crew for this aircraft arrived from St Athan to collect and the aircraft was configured with full under wing fuel tanks. The crew were not familiar with this configuration as it is normal for test crews from St Athan to fly aircraft in a clean configuration. They elected to use Emergency Ram Air (ERA) and combat power for take off. This was normal for them and considered a further safety precaution. On take off, the nose leg failed to retract and the pilot reduced engine power whilst informing the navigator and air traffic control of the emergency. The pilot was then immediately aware of a slight rumbling and that both engine indicated flight idle. This was despite the pilot believing that he had max dry power selected. He then tried a reheat selection but there was no change in the engine indications, thus he diagnosed a possible simultaneous surge on both engines and informed the navigator that they would be ejecting. The pilot initiated command ejection and 225 feet and 140 knots and the aircraft crashed into a field and came to rest in a drainage ditch. The pilot suffered a broken ankle and spinal injuries and the navigator suffered minor injuries. The cause was not positively established but was probably due to the pilot rapidly selecting the throttles to max dry power from idle in what was then an unknown surge prone area causing the surges on the engines. As a result RAF Tornado crews were advised of this problem and engineering measures were taken to increase the surge free margins. The pilot was absolved from blame as it was identified that the course that he had completed had some deficiencies and that he had acted as he had been trained to do so.
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