What happens if you leave the brakes off a military transport jet?

My Grand-uncle Dick found out...

In September 1947, on returning from 3 years in Egypt, I found myself posted to RAF Manston in Kent, a home posting for me as I lived in Deal about 15 miles away. My joy was soon dashed to find that within a few months of serving Echelon No. 4077, to which I was posted and catered for the 2^nd Line Servicings of 4 Dakota Squadrons, one of which was 30 Squadron, was soon to move to RAF Waterbeach.

My stay at Waterbeach was reasonably uneventful, working every other weekend in 2^nd line, right through, desnagging the Base Inspections being passed out from the hangar and delivering them to the Squadrons during the weekend.

One unusual occurrence happened on a Saturday morning when the Warrant Officer Gobbels, I/c the hangar, said, “Your hockey is cancelled this afternoon, Buck. Get your lunch quickly. You are flying to RAF Aldregrove to change an elevator. Be back by 12 o'clock. I'll put an elevator in the back of the aircraft you are going in.”

Later, climbing into the Dakota, I saw the dirtiest elevator I'd ever seen. It looked as if it had come off the dump. Half a dozen tears in the fabric, but the Warrant had catered for my needs by supplying red dope, fabric, brushes, needles and thread. Instead of enjoying the trip over I sat on the floor, stitching the damage for 2 and a half hours or so to save time. What happened at Aldergrove was that the damaged Dakota was there to bring back food, hooch and goodies, still in short supply in England, for a big Officers' Mess Party. It was loaded up and somebody had left the brakes off, on the grass, and it had run backwards into the air traffic control wagon positioned at the end of the runway and smashed into the port elevator trailing edge.

We taxied up to the Dakota, transferred the load and off it went. The damaged aircraft was towed into dirty old black hangar across the other side of the aerodrome. I was given a young airframe mechanic to help and starting at 6 o'clock, we worked all night fitting the elevator and carrying out fabric repairs. About 10 o'clock in the morning after a short test flight we flew back to RAF Waterbeach. The only things we saw in that hangar were about 500 crows sitting on the girders of the roof, bombarding us all night. What a din, too!