Incident Overview
On 27 January 2011, RAF Tornado GR4 ZG792, call sign CACTUS 2, was conducting a simulated attack sortie as part of an Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) Long Course. The aircraft departed RAF Lossiemouth at 1348 Zulu. The front seat was occupied by the staff pilot (aircraft captain), and the rear seat by a student Weapon Systems Officer (WSO).
Preceding Events
The sortie plan included a practice bomb drop at Tain Air Weapons Range, followed by simulated Paveway IV and low-level attacks. During the sortie, the pilot noted several ECST (Environmental Control System Temperature) captions, which he reset by selecting the alternate range on the cabin heat control. The formation conducted a battle turn near Plockton, and shortly after rolling out on a westerly heading, the crew heard a loud machine-gun-like noise from the right-hand side of the aircraft.
Accident Sequence
At 1435:46, the pilot diagnosed the noise as an engine surge and immediately brought both throttles to idle while maintaining less than 10 units alpha. The left engine's NH decreased normally, but the right engine's NH continued to drop below idle levels. The pilot observed REHEAT and R OIL P captions and informed the WSO he was shutting down the right engine. Immediately after, a L FIRE caption appeared with confirmatory signs of fire.
The crew attempted to divert to Stornoway, but the left engine lost thrust and aircraft control became increasingly difficult. At 1443:14, the pilot initiated command ejection. Both crew members were rescued by a Coastguard helicopter and taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Aircraft and Crew Details
ZG792, a Tornado GR4, had accumulated 5,240 flying hours. The right engine had been fitted for 392 hours. The pilot had 2,936 total flying hours (1,512 on GR4) and was assessed as above average. The student WSO had 346 total hours (64 on GR4) and was on track to complete the OCU Long Course.
Post-Incident Findings
The aircraft's accident data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were used to reconstruct events. The right engine surge was the initial fault, followed by a fire. No probable cause was explicitly stated in the investigation.