1957 Blackbushe Viking accident
|
Sister ship to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 May 1957 |
| Summary | EFTO (engine failure on take-off) |
| Site |
Blackbushe Airport 51°19′08″N 0°52′12″W / 51.319°N 0.870°WCoordinates: 51°19′08″N 0°52′12″W / 51.319°N 0.870°W |
| Passengers | 30 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 1 |
| Fatalities | 34 |
| Survivors | 1 |
| Aircraft type | Vickers VC.1 Viking 1B |
| Operator | Eagle Aviation Limited |
| Registration | G-AJBO |
| Flight origin | Blackbushe Airport |
| Destination | RAF Castel Benito / RAF Idris, Libya |
The 1957 Blackbushe Viking accident occurred on 1 May 1957 when an Eagle Aviation twin-engined Vickers VC.1 Viking registered G-AJBO crashed into trees near Blackbushe Airport, located in Hampshire, England, on approach following a suspected engine failure on take-off. All five crew and 29 of the 30 passengers were killed.[1][2]
Accident
At 21:14 the Viking took off from Blackbushe Airport on an unscheduled passenger flight to RAF Idris in Libya.[2] The aircraft on charter to the War Office had five crew, 25 soldiers from the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, one soldier's wife, two children and two war department civilians.[2] At 21:16 the pilot reported I have port engine failure, I am making a left-hand circuit to come in again.[1] As the aircraft turned onto the approach to land about 1200 yards (1,116 m) from the runway the aircraft crashed into a wooden copse at Star Hill.[1][2] Thirty-four of the 35 on board were killed.[1]
Aftermath
The aircraft exploded and burst into flames when it hit the ground about 50 yards (46 m) from the A30 road.[2] Passing lorry drivers were the first to help. Ambulances and six fire tenders from the airport were quickly on the scene.[2] The airport fire tenders were soon joined by others from Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire and United States Navy personnel temporarily based at Blackbushe.[2]
The 29 bodies were recovered and four survivors were taken to Cambridge Military Hospital in Aldershot.[2] Three of those in hospital subsequently died leaving only one survivor.[3]
Investigation
A coroner's inquest was held at Aldershot on 5 June 1957 which returned a verdict of accidental death on the 34 who died.[4]
A public inquiry was opened in London on 23 July 1957.[5] The inquiry report was published in November 1957 and determined that the loss was caused by an error of skill and judgement by the pilot.[6] The report noted that although Captain Jones had flown over 6,800 hours of which 4,800 had been with the Viking he had not made a single-engined landing for at least two years.[6] Because of the fire it was not possible to determine if the port engine had failed.[6]
Probable cause
The probable cause was the failure of the captain to maintain a safe altitude and airspeed when approaching to land on one engine after failure (or suspected failure) of the port engine.[1][7][8]
References
- Citations
- 1 2 3 4 5 Civil Aviation Authority 1974, p. 8/57
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "31 Die In Air Crash – Service Men And Families – Explosion After Take-Off – Aircraft Bound For Tripoli" (News). The Times (London). Thursday, 2 May 1957. (53880), col A, p. 10.
- ↑ "Viking Death Toll now 34" (News in Brief). The Times (London). Monday, 6 May 1957. (53833), col F, p. 4.
- ↑ ""Error of Judgement" in Viking Crash – Engine Failure as a Contributary Cause" (News). The Times (London). Thursday, 6 June 1957. (53860), col G, p. 6.
- ↑ "Viking's Crash On Trooping Flight – Comment On Coroner's Statement" (News). The Times (London). Wednesday, 24 July 1957. (53901), col B, p. 4.
- 1 2 3 "Crash Caused By Pilot's Error – Viking Came In Too Low On One Engine" (News). The Times (London). Wednesday, 6 November 1957. (53991), col E, p. 14.
- ↑ "Tribute to 1957 Blackbushe air crash victims". BBC News. 19 October 2011.
- ↑ "Tribute to 1957 air crash victims". BBC News. 19 October 2011.
- Bibliography
- World Accident Summary. Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom). 1974. ISBN 0-903083-44-2.
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