Description
This is the shocking aftermath of one of the worst aviation disasters in Malta’s history.
These devastating scenes were filmed in 1975 just minutes after a Vulcan bomber crashed in Zabbar following an aborted landing at RAF Luqa.
Residents spoke of their horror as the doomed aircraft exploded, claiming the life of Vincenza Zammit, 48.
She was walking in Sanctuary Street at around 12.40pm on October 14 when she was killed by a piece of flying debris.
Around 20 other people on the ground were injured or suffered burns caused by the searing heat of the fireball.
Eyewitnesses told how the Vulcan’s fuel tanks landed in the street and exploded upon impact, sparking panic.
More than a dozen homes and shops were damaged as firefighters battled to put out the flames.
The pilot and co-pilot survived the disaster.
Flight Lieutenant G.R. Alcock and Flying Officer E.C. Alexander escaped using their ejection seats but the other five crew members onboard died.
They were Flight Lieutenant Stanley Lambert, 42, Flight Lieutenant Tony Pullman, 34, Squadron Leader David Beeden, 38, Sergeant Peter Atkins, 31, and Chief Technician Gordon Barrow.
An investigation blamed pilot error as the primary cause of the tragic accident.
Vulcan XM645 had been on a routine flight to Malta from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.
