RAF Fighter Guides Stricken King Air To Safety

For the crew of a Royal Air Force F-3 Tornado, it all started out as a routine training mission. But it ended in a life-saving diversion as the crew escorted a crippled Beech King Air to a safe landing Wednesday.

The King Air lost all electronic instruments -- everything, basically, except for the altimeter -- over Glasgow, Scotland while approaching the airport. Controllers called for the Tornado's crew to lend a hand, if able.

"We knew we could help because we had more fuel than usual on board," said the Tornado's pilot, First Lieutenant Ted Threapleton. "It wasn't long before we picked him up on our radar."

Threapleton, 54, gently eased up alongside the stricken King Air, rocked his wings and used hand signals to tell the civilian pilot what he had in mind.

At first, the Tornado's crew believed the King Air's pilot had only lost communications -- but it soon became clear the King Air, carrying four people, was in worst shape than feared.

Very carefully, the odd formation flew through IMC conditions to Prestwick, then Edinburgh -- but had to abort both approaches because of the low cloud deck. Throughout the entire ordeal, Threapleton fought to pace the King Air's much slower airspeed, giving that aircraft's pilot a needed reference to make sure the Beech kept its own speed up.

Finally, after approximately an hour in the sky, Threapleton guided the King Air to Leuchars -- where it landed safely.

"There was probably nobody else who could have helped," Threapleton said, "because civilian aircraft don't have all the radars, radios and tracking equipment we do. We are also trained to fly in formation and do this type of shepherding. We both knew that if we didn't get the plane below cloud, he would eventually have run out of fuel and crashed. There was no other option."

We can only imagine what went through that King Air pilot's mind, after he lost all nav-com... and then saw that Tornado pull up alongside. That kind of experience could give a guy religion...

FMI: www.raf.mod.uk/