New I Bet You've Never Learned Of This Before! A 1940 Mid-Air Collision Occurred Over Australia. Both Avro Ansons Of A Flight Grooming Schoolhouse Remained Locked Together Later On Colliding, In Addition To And Thus Landed Safely.
The collision stopped the engines of the upper Anson, only those of the car underneath continued to run, allowing the pair of aircraft to maintain flying. Both navigators in addition to the airplane pilot of the lower Anson bailed out. The airplane pilot of the upper Anson establish that he was able to command the interlocked aircraft with his ailerons in addition to flaps, in addition to made an emergency landing inward a nearby paddock. All iv crewmen survived the incident, in addition to the upper Anson was repaired in addition to returned to flying service.
The aircraft remained jammed together, the lower Anson's turret wedged into the other's port wing root, in addition to its fin in addition to rudder balancing the upper Anson's port tailplane.
Both of the upper aircraft's engines had been knocked out inward the collision only those of the ane below continued to plow at total ability every bit the interlocked Ansons began to piece of cake circle.
Fuller described the "freak combination" every bit "lumping along similar a brick". He even thus establish that he was able to command the piggybacking pair of aircraft with his ailerons in addition to flaps, in addition to began searching for a house to land.
The ii navigators, Sinclair in addition to Fraser, bailed out, followed presently after past times the lower Anson's pilot, Hewson, whose dorsum had been injured when the spinning blades of the other aircraft sliced through his fuselage.
Fuller travelled 5 miles after the collision, in addition to thus successfully made an emergency pancake landing inward a large paddock, sliding 200 yards across the grass earlier coming to rest.
As far every bit Fuller was concerned, the touchdown was improve than whatever he had made when practicing the previous day. His acting commanding officer, Squadron Leader Cooper, declared the alternative of improvised track "perfect", in addition to the landing itself every bit a "wonderful effort".
Fuller told the RAAF's Inspector of Air Accidents, Group Captain Arthur "Spud" Murphy:
Well, sir, I did everything we've been told to produce inward a forced landing—land every bit unopen every bit possible to domicile or a farmhouse and, if possible, nation into the wind. I did all that. There's the farmhouse, in addition to I did a couplet of circuits in addition to landed into the wind. She was pretty heavy on the controls, though!
The overstep aircraft (N4876) returned to flying service, in addition to the lower (L9162) was used every bit an instructional airframe.
Fuller was promoted to sergeant after his successful landing, only too confined to barracks for xiv days in addition to docked 7 days' pay for speaking nearly the incident to newspapers without authorisation.
He graduated from No. 2 SFTS inward Oct 1940, in addition to after received a commendation from the Australian Air Board for his "presence of mind, courage in addition to conclusion inward landing the locked Ansons without serious harm to the aircraft nether hard conditions".
Fuller saw active service showtime inward the Middle East, in addition to and thus inward Europe, earning the Distinguished Flying Medal for his actions over Palermo inward March 1942.
Commissioned later that year, Fuller was posted dorsum to Commonwealth of Australia every bit a flying officer, in addition to became an teacher at No. 1 Operational Training Unit inward Sale, Victoria. Sadly, he died close Sale on eighteen March 1944, when he was hitting past times a bus spell riding his bicycle.
Thanks Kim!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940_Brocklesby_mid-air_collision