North Luffenham
441 Squadron Photographs

Detail from Assorted Sorrces:

S/L MacKenzie of 441 Squadron was flying F-86 Sabre 19189 on 12 June 1952 when he experienced engine trouble and a subsequent flame out. This resulted in a wheels-up deadstick landing in a potato field near "The Wash" which in turn was located near "Boston".

Comments from Peter Cranston:

I hadn't previously seen any photos of Andy MacKenzie's Sabre in the field after the belly landing. I watched it happen. Andy was lead, I was number 2, and 3 and 4 were Don Williamson and Jean Gaudry. Andy's engine flamed out at angels 35 or higher, and it didn't windmill, it seized. He tried a relight which only resulted in a 20-foot flame behind the tailpipe, so was committed to a deadstick landing. By this time everybody on the frequency for miles around had heard his comments and was offering unsolicited advice. I knew where we were and the heading to base, tried to tell him but kept getting blocked. Eventually I got through but he got the number wrong and steered 320 instead of 230.

While all this was going on we were getting lower and lower until all the other voices faded out because we were below the VHF horizon. It was now too low to eject. I shouted at him to turn into wind and pick one of the fields below; our altitude was now only 1500 feet.

We saw him touch down. The drop tanks came off immediately. I feared he might hit a tractor crossing in front but he missed. The Sabre kept going towards a ditch or canal. What we couldn't see from above was the high bank on the side. He hit that, kicking up a huge cloud of mud that all came down on the Sabre. All one could see were the canopy and the fin. I guess the rain washed it off before the photos were taken.

We were surprised to hear him say, "Well I better get out of this thing..." and saw the canopy slide back, but it stopped before fully open. That was when we knew how lucky he had been. With the engine frozen there is no more hydraulic pressure for the flight controls, so it has to come from the electric pump, and of course with no generator turning that's fed from the single battery. Result is after about five minutes from seizure you have a frozen control stick too. Seems Andy had been only a few seconds from that.

Interesting times they were.