BOAC Flight 712
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 The burning aircraft
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1968-04-09 |
| Type | Engine fire |
| Site | London Heathrow |
| Passengers | 116 |
| Crew | 11 |
| Injuries | 38 |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Survivors | 122 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 707-465 |
| Operator | BOAC |
| Tail number | G-ARWE (c/n 18373) |
| Flight origin | London Heathrow |
| Stopover | Zürich Kloten |
| Destination | Sydney |
BOAC Flight 712 (callsign Speedbird 712) for April 9, 1968 was a Boeing 707-465 from London Heathrow bound for Sydney via Zürich Kloten, which suffered an engine failure at takeoff that quickly led to a major fire that killed five of the 127 on board. The actions taken by those involved resulted in the award of a George Cross, a British Empire Medal and an MBE.
Contents |
[edit] Background
On a clear spring afternoon, flight 712 had 127 people aboard, including a crew augmented by an acting flight officer and a check captain for routine performance review of the pilot in command, Captain Taylor. As well as the passengers, the aircraft was carrying baggage, mail and a radioactive isotope from the Isotope Production Unit at Harwell destined for the University Hospital in Jerusalem.[1]
[edit] Flight
Seconds after take off from Heathrow's runway 28L (27L now) there was an unexpected bang and the aircraft started vibrating. The throttle controlling number two engine was shutting down. While Captain Taylor ordered an engine failure drill, Flight Engineer Thomas Hicks carried out the engine failure drill, but both he and Check Captain Geoff Moss reached for the switch to cancel the undercarriage warning horn. At the same time, First Officer Francis Kirkland inadvertently cancelled the fire bell. Hicks reached for, but didn't pull, the engine fire shut-off handle. Moss, observing the fire, exclaimed "Bloody Hell! The wing's on Fire!"[1]
In the Control tower, the take off had been observed by John Davis, who hit the "crash button" which alerted the emergency services and declared an aircraft accident. The emergency services were informed of the type of aircraft involved and given a rendezvous point at which they were to assemble.[1]
By this time, the windows on the port side at the rear of the fuselage were beginning to melt. As the aircraft flew over Thorpe the burning engine broke away from its mounting and fell into a gravel pit where some children were playing, without causing any injury to them.[1] At this time, the undercarriage was lowered and full flap selected. The flaps stopped some three degrees short of their full travel. The aircraft was at a height of 3,000 feet (910 m) and flying at 225 knots (417 km/h)[2] Stewardess Jennifer Suares repeated the emergency landing drill for the benefit of the passengers despite not being sure herself that they would actually manage to land before the aircraft exploded.[1]
The crew realised that the aircraft wouldn't last long enough to enable a landing back on 28L, and accepted Davis's offer of runway 05R, even though it was much shorter and not equipped with ILS.[1] Taylor was able to safely land the aircraft on 06R, using wheel brakes and reversing the outboard engines' thrust to halt the aircraft.[3] The aircraft touched down 400 yards (370 m) beyond the threshold and stopped in 1,400 yards (1,300 m).[2] The aircraft had made a perfect emergency landing after just 3m:32s of flight. Taylor asked Davis for permission to evacuate, but the cabin crew were already opening the emergency doors.[1] The flight crew started the fire drill, but the port wing exploded before this could be completed. As a result, the fire shut off handles were not pulled, and the booster pumps and electrical supply were left switched on.[2]
[edit] Fire
The first two fire engines to arrive were unable to do much to stop the fire, as the drivers misjudged their distance and also they were unable to make foam whilst on the move. Problems with couplings on the fire hoses exacerbated the situation. The cabin crew started the evacuation via both forward galley doors, both rear doors and the starboard overwing exits. Eighteen passengers escaped via the overwing exits before the fire grew too intense to use that route. The forward port galley door escape slide caught fire before it could be used, but one person jumped from there. Eighty four people escaped via the starboard galley door. Three of the crew escaped by the emergency cockpit rope. The rear starboard door escape slide had twisted on deployment, so Taylor climbed down to straighten it, leaving flight attendant Barbara Jane Harrison at the door assisting the passengers. Six passengers escaped via this route before the slide was punctured and deflated. Harrison encouraged the passengers to jump, and pushed out those too frightened to do so. A total of eleven people escaped via this route, and five more escaped via the rear port door before the slide was destroyed. Harrison was last seen alive preparing to jump herself, but then she turned back and disappeared into the burning fuselage.[1][4] Thirty eight people were injured, and five killed.[3]
[edit] Aftermath
[edit] Casualties
The five people killed in the accident were Jane Harrison; an elderly wheelchair bound woman; a widowed woman on her way to visit her brothers; an Australian teacher; and an eight year old girl who was emigrating to Perth with her family.[1]
[edit] Cause and results
In the subsequent investigation, metal fatigue was ultimately blamed for the failure of the number five compressor wheel in the number two Rolls Royce 508 Conway turbofan engine,[3] starting the rapid chain of failures. The crew's omission to shut off the fuel to the engine was blamed for the rapid growth of the fire and the loss of the aircraft.[2]
As a result of the investigation, and lessons learned from the chain of events, BOAC combined the "Engine Fire Drill" and "Engine Severe Failure Drill" checklists into one list, called the "Engine Fire or Severe Failure Drill". Modifications were also made to the checklist, including adding confirmation that the fire handles had been pulled to the checklist.[4]
[edit] Salvage
The nose section of G-ARWE was salvaged, and used on a Boeing 707-331B, TWA's N28714,[1] c/n 18408.[5] The recipient aircraft was previously registered N779TW, which had been hijacked on a flight from Rome to Athens. Its cockpit had been destroyed by a bomb at Damascus, Syria on 29 August 1968. The aircraft was sold to Pan Am as N706PA.[6]
[edit] People involved in the accident
[edit] Crew
- Captain Cliff Taylor
- Flight Engineer Thomas Hicks
- First Officer Francis Kirkland
- Acting First Officer John Hutchinson
- Check Captain Geoff Moss
- Chief Steward Neville Davis-Gordon
- Stewardess Barbara Jane Harrison
- Steward Andrew McCarthy
- Stewardess Jennifer Suares
- Steward Bryan Taylor
- Stewardess Rosalind Unwin
[edit] Air traffic control
- John Davis
- Frank Tyler
[edit] The aircraft involved
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 707-465 registered G-ARWE (manufacturers serial number 18373, Boeing line number 302).[2] First flown on 27 June 1962 the aircraft was originally to have been operated by Cunard Eagle Airways, but before it entered service it was sold to BOAC-Cunard and was delivered on 7 July 1962. On 21 November 1967, the aircraft suffered an engine failure on take off from Honolulu International Airport. The take off was aborted, there were no injuries to any of the passengers or crew.[7] At the time of the Heathrow accident, the aircraft had flown for a total of 20,870 hours.[2]
[edit] Awards
Barbara Jane Harrison was awarded a posthumous George Cross (GC), the only George Cross ever awarded to a woman in peacetime. Neville Davis-Gordon was awarded the British Empire Medal for Gallantry (BEM).[8] Harrison's medal was accepted on her behalf by her father, Alan. John Davis was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).[1] Harrison is the youngest ever female recipient of the George Cross.[9]
The citation for Barbara Jane Harrison's George Cross reads:-[8][10]
| “ | GEORGE CROSS
On April 8th 1968, soon after take-off from Heathrow Airport, No. 2 engine of B.O.A.C. Boeing 707 G-ARWE caught fire and subsequently fell from the aircraft, leaving a fierce fire burning at No. 2 engine position. About two and a half minutes later the aircraft made an emergency landing at the airport and the fire on the port wing intensified. Miss Harrison was one of the stewardesses in this aircraft and the duties assigned to her in an emergency were to help the steward at the aft station to open the appropriate rear door and inflate the escape chute and then to assist the passengers at the rear of the aircraft to leave in an orderly manner. When the aircraft landed Miss Harrison and the steward concerned opened the rear galley door and inflated the chute, which unfortunately became twisted on the way down so that the steward had to climb down it to straighten it before it could be used. Once out of the aircraft he was unable to return; hence Miss Harrison was left alone to the task of shepherding passengers to the rear door and helping them out of the aircraft. She encouraged some passengers to jump from the machine and pushed out others. With flames and explosions all around her and escape from the tail of the machine impossible she directed her passengers to another exit while she remained at her post. She was finally overcome while trying to save an elderly cripple who was seated in one of the last rows and whose body was found close to that of the stewardess. Miss Harrison was a very brave young lady who gave her life in her utter devotion to duty. |
” |
The citation for Neville Davis-Gordon's British Empire Medal reads:-[8][10]
| “ | Award of the British Empire Medal for Gallantry (Civil Division)
On April 8th 1968, soon after take-off from Heathrow Airport, No. 2 engine of B.O.A.C. Boeing 707 G-ARWE caught fire, and subsequently fell from the aircraft, leaving a fierce fire burning at the No. 2 engine position. About two and a half minutes later the aircraft made an emergency landing at the airport and the fire on the port wing intensified. Mr. Davis-Gordon was Chief Steward aboard the aircraft, under his command, the cabin staff successfully organised the escape of 112 passengers, from a total of 116 from the burning aircraft. The Chief Steward's firm and calm instructions not only guided passengers to the most appropriate exit, but clearly helped to avoid any panic. On one occasion it was necessary for Mr. Davis-Gordon to get out on to the starboard wing to assist a passenger who had become stranded there because of the spread of the fire. He helped her back, re-entered the aircraft and directed her to a safe escape exit at the front of the aircraft. By remaining on the aircraft until he was satisfied all survivors had left the main cabin, he risked his life in the knowledge that a further explosion might occur at any moment and engulf the aircraft. His coolness and qualities of leadership were of a high order and an inspiration to his cabin staff, who themselves displayed high qualities of devotion to duty in spite of the obvious perils of the situation. |
” |
[edit] Book
In April 2008, a book was published on the accident. The book has an introduction by the Duke of Edinburgh, who witnessed the flight from Windsor Castle.[11]
- Ottaway, Susan (2008). Fire over Heathrow: The Tragedy of Flight 712. Barnsley: Pen and Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 9781844157396.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k O'Brien, Tim (June 2008). "The Last Flight of Whiskey Echo". Aeroplane Vol 36, No 6 (422): p30-35. ISSN 0143-7240.
- ^ a b c d e f Accident description. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ a b c Special Report: British Overseas Airline Company Flight 712. Air Disaster. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ a b Job, Macarthur (1994). Air Disaster 1. Weston Creek, ACT: Aerospace Publications, p60-66. ISBN 1 875671 11 0.
- ^ FAA Registry N-Number Inquiry Results. Federal Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
- ^ TRANS WORLD AIRLINES. Aeromoe. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
- ^ NTSB Identification: OAK68A0046. National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
- ^ a b c London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44913, pages 8211–8213, 7 August 1969. Retrieved on 2008-05-16. The citation for Harrison's GC is on p.1, Davis-Gordon's BEM is on p.3
- ^ George Cross: Facts & Statistics, Matters of Interest and some Questions and Answers. George Cross Database. Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
- ^ a b Crown copyright
- ^ How I kept my cool as jet exploded in fireball horror. Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
