In 1975, a British RAF Vulcan bomber exploded as it approached the runway of Malta’s airport. That few cilivians died is near-miraculous. This article describes what happened and the view on the ground.
The incident
At 13:00 on 14 October 19751, a British air force Vulcan bomber, XM645, approached the island of Malta2. Malta was no longer part of the British empire, having won independence a decade earlier. Despite this, British armed forces still maintained a presence on the island at the time.
The British took control of the islands in 1800.
The Vulcan, co-piloted by Flying Officer E. G. Alexander2, made the first approach to Luqa airport. Alexander had never receiveda briefing on how to land on such a short runway3.
Alexander’s notes show that he thought they were 100-150 feet above the ground. The pilot’s notes record their altitude as 100-150 feet3. This difference is because the runway was on a slope. In reality, they were only 20 feet off the ground.
The undercarriage hit the runway, the force of impact ripping it apart from the fuselage3. The plane bounced back into the air and travelled for a further 600 feet before bouncing again3. The captain tried to re-approach but the plane was now aflame3. Alexander applied the high-drag airbrake which made things worse3.
The pilot and co-pilot ejected because they realised they were in trouble2. The plane exploded in mid-air over the town of Zabbar before the rest of the crew could bail2. Five people on board died.
The fuel tanks landed on Sanctuary street and caught fire, sending a fireball down the street2. Mrs Vincenza Zammit, who happened to be in the street, left a blackened burnt-out corpse and a shopping bag2. All balconies and cars in the street burned, as did cars in nearby streets2. In total, over 100 buildings suffered some kind of damage2.
A Welsh couple who were honeymooning in Malta tried to save their rental Triumph2. They abandoned it and fled the scene as soon as they saw the burning wreckage approach2.
Mrs Sestito saved her 40-day old Dominika by pulling the baby out of the way of wreckage that fell on their balcony4.
There were up to 20 others injuries2 including:
- Kevin Falzon, a boy from Zabbar. hit by falling debris.
- The pilot and co-pilot. who ended up in Mtarfa military hospital for their injuries.
The largest fragment landed in a field beside the government school in Zabbar2. The fire in the wreckage was so fierce that fire fighters couldn’t save the remaining crew2.
The second largest fragment landed on an empty garage that housed buses at night2. A third part landed in an empty field, and various other bits of debris peppered the village.
Eye witnesses
Malta is not large, so many eye-witnesses saw the incident from diffferent parts of the island. Almost all stated the same thing: the plane was on fire before exploding, and it split into 3 major segments.
Ms Tessie Refalo lived in a house overlooking the field where the largest fragment hit5. She saw the plane ablaze as it approached5. When it exploded, she gathered her seven children and ran outside as the house shook with the blast5.
Ms Manuela Zerafa heard the explosion and dashed outside, fearing an earthquake5. She saw a blinding flash and her entire street appeared to go up in flames5. The shop opposite her house was on fire, and she could hear screams5.
Mrs Emmanuela Caruana saw the plane break up as it exploded5. She rushed inside, and while her building wasn’t hit, it suffered some damage5.
Picture: Richard J. Caruana
The staff at the local boys secondary school ensured the students were inside5. As soon as they could, they sent the students home, making sure to guide them away from the crash site5.
Many women ran to the school and the nearby playground, fearful of their children’s fate2. Husbands rushed home to find police cordoned off many roads around the burning buildings2. This led to a second wave of panic until they found news of family members.
The rescuers
Fire fighters and emergency personnel dashed to the scene from the airport2. The narrow streets typical of Maltese villages cannot have helped them much. Between this, and the crowds, it took them longer to arrive than they needed to2.
The crowds also disobeyed police orders, eager to gather souveniers from the wreckage2.
The fire fighters also did not have enough water to extinguish the flames2. It took them far too long to find a useable well. In the mean time, they ran a shuttle service to and from their base to be able to work on the burning wreckage2.
The Commando carrier Hermes was in Valletta’s harbour and sent a Sea King helicopter to help2. Two other Wessex-class helicopters also arrived to help2.
Aftermath
Parliament heard the Prime Minister describe the incident later that day1. An official inquiry set about investigating the cause of the tragedy.
The government offered temporary accomodation to 15 people who lost houses that day1. These were the residents of 128, 130, 132 and 136 Sanctuary Street, as well as a few others4.
The military authorities repatriated the bodies of the British crew members6.
The investigation showed that the Vulcan did not have a black box. At the time, this was not mandatory on Royal Air Force planes6. Details of the pilots’ notes on their altitude, as well as other relevant details began to surface. Photos taken by an enthusiast proved that the plane was actually 20 feet off the ground at the time3.
The British military gave up their military presence in Malta in 1979, but not because of this one crash. There hasn’t been a major military-related incident on the islands since then.
- Prime Minister leads Parliament in sympathy for Vulcan crash victims; The Times of Malta; 1975-10-15[↩][↩][↩]
- Six dead, 20 injured as RAF Vulcan crashes at Zabbar; The Times of Malta; 1975-10-15[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Vulcan crash at Zabbar was ‘avoidable’; Michael Testa; The Times of Malta; 2005-10-17[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- RAF crash inquiry opens; The Times of Malta; 1975-10-16[↩][↩]
- Eye witnesses’ accounts; The Times of Malta; 1975-10-15[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Vulcan crash victims to be buried in UK; The Times of Malta; 1975-10-18[↩][↩]
