1968 BKS Air Transport Heathrow crash
Encyclopedia
On 3 July 1968 an Airspeed Ambassador
of BKS Air Transport, registration G-AMAD, crashed at London Heathrow Airport
, damaging two parked Trident
airliners as it cartwheeled into the uncompleted London Heathrow Terminal 1, then under construction. Six of the eight crew were killed along with eight horses.
. As the plane was landing on Heathrow's runway 28R the left wing dropped, and the wing tip
and left landing gear
touched the grass adjacent to the runway. The crew tried to increase power to go-around
and climb away, but the bank angle increased. The aircraft hit two parked, and empty, British European Airways
Hawker Siddeley Trident 1s
, knocking the tail fin off G-ARPI and slicing off the entire tail section
of G-ARPT. The Ambassador burst into flames and came to rest upside down against the ground floor of the terminal building.
Six on board the Ambassador died, including the flight crew and three groom
s, along with all eight horses. All other Ambassadors were grounded pending the result of an inquiry.
operating rod had failed due to metal fatigue
, causing the port flaps to retract, resulting in the roll to port. After the accident all Ambassadors were fitted with steel reinforcements to the flap operating rods.
Airspeed Ambassador
The Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador was a British twin piston engined airliner that first flew on 10 July 1947 and served in small numbers through the 1950s and 1960s.-Design and development:...
of BKS Air Transport, registration G-AMAD, crashed at London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
, damaging two parked Trident
Hawker Siddeley Trident
The Hawker Siddeley HS 121 Trident was a British short/medium-range three-engined jet airliner designed by de Havilland and built by Hawker Siddeley in the 1960s and 1970s...
airliners as it cartwheeled into the uncompleted London Heathrow Terminal 1, then under construction. Six of the eight crew were killed along with eight horses.
Accident
The Ambassador, c/n 5211, was on a flight from Deauville, France to Heathrow Airport, transporting eight racehorses belonging to businessman William HillWilliam Hill (businessman)
William Hill was the founder of William Hill, one of the United Kingdom's largest firms of bookmakers.-Career:...
. As the plane was landing on Heathrow's runway 28R the left wing dropped, and the wing tip
Wing tip
A wing tip is the part of the wing that is most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft.Because the wing tip shape influences the size and drag of the wingtip vortices, tip design has produced a diversity of shapes, including:* Squared-off...
and left landing gear
Landing Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
touched the grass adjacent to the runway. The crew tried to increase power to go-around
Go-around
A go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach.- Origin of the term :The term arises from the traditional use of traffic patterns at airfields. A landing aircraft will first join the circuit pattern and prepare for landing in an orderly fashion...
and climb away, but the bank angle increased. The aircraft hit two parked, and empty, British European Airways
British European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
Hawker Siddeley Trident 1s
Hawker Siddeley Trident
The Hawker Siddeley HS 121 Trident was a British short/medium-range three-engined jet airliner designed by de Havilland and built by Hawker Siddeley in the 1960s and 1970s...
, knocking the tail fin off G-ARPI and slicing off the entire tail section
Empennage
The empennage , also known as the tail or tail assembly, of most aircraft gives stability to the aircraft, in a similar way to the feathers on an arrow...
of G-ARPT. The Ambassador burst into flames and came to rest upside down against the ground floor of the terminal building.
Six on board the Ambassador died, including the flight crew and three groom
Groom (horses)
A groom is a person who is responsible for some or all aspects of the management of horses and/or the care of the stables themselves. The term most often refers to a person who is the employee of a stable owner, but even an owner of a horse may perform the duties of a groom, particularly if the...
s, along with all eight horses. All other Ambassadors were grounded pending the result of an inquiry.
Probable cause
The left (port) flapFlap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
operating rod had failed due to metal fatigue
Metal Fatigue
Metal Fatigue , is a futuristic science fiction, real-time strategy computer game developed by Zono Incorporated and published by Psygnosis and TalonSoft .-Plot:...
, causing the port flaps to retract, resulting in the roll to port. After the accident all Ambassadors were fitted with steel reinforcements to the flap operating rods.
Tridents
G-ARPT was damaged beyond economic repair. G-ARPI was subsequently repaired but later destroyed in the Staines air disaster on 18 June 1972.External links
- Period newspaper clippings and photograph of crash debris
- Photograph of severed tail section of Trident 1 G-ARPT – taken in 1972
- Trident accidents and incidents – includes small photograph of destroyed Trident 1 G-ARPT at Heathrow
- BKS Air Transport Ltd history site
- Pre-crash photographs of Airspeed Ambassador G-AMAD
- Movietone film clip of the crash on YouTube