Vulcan XH558 - Serious Engine Failure

[Keith Mitchell]

Prior to a practice flight for the Queen's Jubilee Celebrations this weekend, XH558 piloted by chief display pilot, Martin Withers, suffered a serious, if not catastrophic, failure of one engine and damage to the other Olympus in the pair when being run-up, prior to take-off at Doncaster yesterday. Debris appeared to be ejected from the engine onto the runway.

Martin - our guest at Elvington last August -immediately shut-down the failed engine and was heard to comment that the adjacent in the pair had got very hot .....

All further flying is cancelled and a full inspection will take place over the next two weeks ('Vulcan to the Sky' website).

Doesn't sound great to me - but let's hope ....

[Bob Thompson1894]

Thats terrible news at a very busy time for them. Lets hope its not as bad as it sounds.

[Vince Raia]

Looks like you'll have to lend them one of your turbines Dave

[DAVE JOHNSON]

Vince--i am sure they have spare turbines,but its the damage thats done to airframe etc thats a worry !!!

[Tony Collins 1073]

Let us all be very thankful that it happened on the ground run. We have to count our blessings.

[Dave Berry 2911]

Sadly its not a new problem on the Vulcan; it happened a number of times when it was in service.
Sounds like a compressor failure which lead to debris being 'coughed' out of the engine and then ingested by the one alongside.

[Keith Mitchell]

Update:

http://mxm.mxmfb.com/rsps/wlnk/c/1216/r/13312/e/381

[Dave Berry 2911]

Good newsdespite the gloomy weather!
XH 558 is back in the air over Yorkshire doing a flight test - ground runs apparantly went well
Dave J's got competition for the biggest flying overcast after all

[DAVE JOHNSON]

Great to hear she is back flying again---lets hope the gloomy weather doesnt affect test flights thsi week so it can attend Fairford

[Jason Griffiths]

XH558 was flying around Stamford area this afternoon - landing & taking off at RAF Wittering - Very nice to see aswell

[Barrie King]

It flew past our flying site twice today, once about 2pm going South, then again just before 4 going back north, great sight!

[Jason Griffiths]

Barrie must have been going to Wittering then between them times .... made Stamford rumble

[Keith Mitchell]

.... now I know what John Willis meant when he said flying the Vulcan was like looking at the world through a letterbox.......!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIaTvzPaJIE

[Vince Raia]

Great video John Willis, what a great loss to British aviation, a truly wonderful man.