Low-flying Catalina

Originally posted by David_Hayward
Fred was shocked by the events on Southampton Water. It brought back memories of trying to land on choppy water especially at night.

I should imagine that is a real frightener without today's modern instrumentation.

As I recall from the AAIB report mentioned previously the dreadful accident was propagated by the failure of a simple tubular strut in the nose-wheel door allowing the door to open under water pressure as the aircraft touched down, a domino effect then occurred as the inner skin was breached by the water pressure at landing speeds and the hydrodynamic forces also slewed the aircraft. The subject strut is not covered in any inspection routine but will obviously be from now on.

I believe the aircraft is at Lee-on-Solent at HMS Daedalus(according to Dave Ballard), certainly when I recently had to deliver/collect some hired radios there to a helicopter firm and their facility was only a few yards from one complete Catalina and another, wingless, and in a state of stripdown stood a short distance away.

Shoulda taken my camera, although I have a good friend who rents a facility there and being known to the site security I could always blag myself in for some piccies if of interest.

Daedalus is of course non-op as a military base and has most of the larger buildings let out as commercial units with many in operation for private hangarage, the site security is only to keep the rubbernecking public safe and off the operational areas.

R.