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| Date: | Tuesday 18 October 1955 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  English Electric Canberra B Mk 6 |
| Owner/operator: | 617 (Dambusters) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | WH950 |
| MSN: | SH1675 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Mauripur -
 Pakistan
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Maripur, Pakistan |
| Habbinya, Iraq | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On the 17th October 1956 Canberra WH950 of 617 Squadron night-stopped at Mauripur on it's way from Butterworth to the UK.
It was scheduled to take off next morning for it's onward journey to Habbaniya but was delayed for 24 hours due to problems with getting the starboard engine started. After about 3 attempts the engine started, but the ground crew man ran out in front giving him frantic signals to shut down.It appears that flames were coming out of the jet pipe right back to the tailplane.
The engine chief who was on the backup HP Hastings inspected the engine and removed the fuel pump and found that it was partly corroded. They were anxious to get moving so the engineer used the ASF workshop lathe and made a new part and fitted it.
Next morning the 18th the engines fired up OK and so the Canberra took off but at 45,000 feet and 160 miles out from Maripur,the engine caught fire and so the pilot did an emergency single engine "oveerweight" landing ("overweight" due to a full fuel load aboard) back to Mauripur, but unfortunately rather bent the aircraft on landing - the aircraft "broke its back" just aft of the cockpit - and it became Cat 5(scrap) write-off.
Both crew members suffered slight injuries and spent a week in sick quarters before continuing their journey to the UK in a much slower Hastings...
The Canberra was stripped of all of its' equipment and then eventually the wings, fuselage etc., were cut up for scrap and sold to some Karachi scrap merchants. Per eyewitness report: "I can remember the tenders being received at EPAS and Flt.Lt. George Paine (Eqiup Officer) getting me to verify with him the highest tenders. The funniest part was when the camels and carts arrived to collect the metals. It took ages for them to load up and in the meantime the camels were p*****g and s*****g outside EPAS and everywhere else they went. George Paine's reaction: "Get that lot cleared up lads!"
Sources:
Air Britain RAF Aircraft WA100 - WZ999
http://rafforum.activeboard.com/t17176891/18th-october-1955-canberra-b6-wh950-617-squadron-mauripur-pk/
http://splashdown2.tripod.com/id16.html
http://ukmamsoba.org/obb111000.htm
http://www.ukserials.com/prodlists.php?type=989
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Jun-2008 11:01 | JINX | Added |
| 16-Feb-2012 02:08 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
| 08-Apr-2013 01:08 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Oct-2018 18:08 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator] |
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