This evening, the village of Ħaż-Żabbar commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Vulcan XM645 air crash. On 14 October 1975, a Vulcan Bomber of the Royal Air Force exploded in mid-air and crashed onto Ħaż-Żabbar at 1:14 p.m. The aircraft had suffered serious damage during a failed landing attempt at Luqa Airport, prompting the captain to attempt an emergency ascent before losing control.
The Vulcan had departed from RAF Waddington in England for a routine training flight, carrying seven crew members.
While the captain and co-pilot managed to eject in time, the other five crew members tragically lost their lives. A local woman was also killed when debris fell onto Triq is-Santwarju, and several homes and properties in the area sustained heavy damage.
In the aftermath, residents organised a pilgrimage on 25 October 1975, carrying the statue of Our Lady of Grace, followed by a concelebrated Mass — an act of thanksgiving that the tragedy, devastating as it was, did not become even greater.
Speaking ahead of this evening’s ceremony, Manuel Abdilla, treasurer of the Żabbar Sanctuary Museum, explained that “fifty years on, the memory of that tragic afternoon remains vivid.” The commemoration will include a musical concert by the Malta Police Band, the inauguration of a monument, a flypast by RAF Typhoon aircraft, and a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna at the Sanctuary Church of Our Lady of Grace at 6:30 p.m.
