BOAC Flight 712
Encyclopedia
BOAC Flight 712 for Monday 8 April 1968 was a British Overseas Airways Corporation
service operated by a Boeing 707
-465 from London Heathrow Airport
bound for Sydney via Kloten
, Zürich and Singapore
, which suffered an engine failure at takeoff that quickly led to a major fire. The engine fell off the aircraft in flight. Confusion over checklists and distractions from the presence of a check captain led to a major fire that killed five of the 127 on board after the aircraft had made a safe emergency landing.
The actions taken by those involved in the accident resulted in the award of a George Cross
, a British Empire Medal
and an MBE
. As a direct result of the accident, BOAC changed the checklists for engine severe failures and engine fires, combining them both into one checklist, the "engine fire or severe failure" checklist.
Flight 712 took off from Heathrow at 15:27 GMT
(16:27 BST
), 12 minutes later than scheduled. Flight 712 had 127 people aboard, including a crew augmented by the addition of 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.
Seconds after take off from Heathrow's then 9000 feet (2,743.2 m) long runway 28L (now 27L), 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 Geoffrey 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!" A Mayday
was broadcast at 15:29.
In the control tower
, the takeoff had been observed by John Davis, who saw what he initially thought was the sun reflecting off the aircraft's wing during its initial climb. Davis quickly realised that the aircraft was on fire. Davis instructed Flight 712 to make a left turn, with the intention that the aircraft would land on runway 28L. He 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.
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. 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 3000 feet (914.4 m) and flying at 225 knots (441 km/h) 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.
The crew realised that the aircraft would not last long enough to enable a landing back on 28L, and declared a Mayday
. Davis cleared the aircraft to land on runway 05R, which was 7733 feet (2,357 m) long. He also instructed two other aircraft to perform an overshoot
, as runway 05R crossed runway 28R, which they were due to land on and Davis did not know whether Flight 712 would be able to stop before reaching that runway. The crew accepted Davis's offer of runway 05R, even though it was much shorter and not equipped with ILS
. Taylor was able to safely land the aircraft on 05R, using wheel brakes and reversing the outboard engines' thrust to halt the aircraft. The aircraft touched down about 400 yards (365.8 m) beyond the threshold and stopped in 1400 yards (1,280.2 m). 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. 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. Due to the short period of time between the Mayday being declared at 15:29 and the aircraft landing at 15:31, there was no time for the emergency services to lay a carpet of foam, which was standard practice at the time.
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. It was this action which led to the award of a George Cross
to Harrison. Thirty-eight people were injured, and five killed.
; Esther Cohen, an elderly woman using a wheelchair; Mary Smith, a widowed woman on her way to visit her brothers; Catherine Shearer, an Australian teacher; and Jacqueline Cooper, an eight year old girl who was emigrating to Perth
with her family.
Magistrates' Court on a charge of indecent assault
on the day of the accident. His name was recognised by police when it appeared on a list of survivors and he was arrested 15 minutes before he could board a replacement flight to Australia. The man appeared at Darlington Magistrates' Court on 10 April where he pled guilty to the charge and was remanded in custody for 19 days whilst a medical report was prepared.
was ultimately blamed for the failure of the number five compressor wheel in the number two Rolls Royce 508 Conway
turbofan
engine, 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. The fire warning bell had been accidentally cancelled by Check Captain Moss instead of the undercarriage warning bell. Moss had also issued orders to Captain Taylor, in breach of the normal protocol for his duties. However, the report into the accident also stated that Captain Taylor had briefed Moss to act as an extra set of eyes and ears inside and outside the cockpit. Moss's actions therefore could be seen as acting within that remit.
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.
, 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. At the time of the Heathrow accident, the aircraft had flown for a total of 20,870 hours. The aircraft was insured for £2,200,000 with Lloyd's of London
.
To replace G-ARWE, BOAC negotiated with Saturn Airways
to receive one of the three Boeing 707s that they had ordered. The aircraft was delivered to BOAC in June 1968 and entered service in late July. This particular aircraft was powered by Pratt & Whitney
engines.
N28714, c/n 18408. 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. It was found that the rest of the airframe was undamaged. The nose section of G-ARWE remained intact after the fire, and thus was fitted to N776TW. That aircraft was test flown on 4 December 1969 and flew with TWA for another ten years as N28714. In March 1980 it was withdrawn from service and stored at Kansas City International Airport
. In 1983 it was sold to Boeing and flown to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base for use as spares for the United States Air Force
KC-135 Stratotanker
fleet. N28714's registration was cancelled in March 1984.
awarded Barbara Jane Harrison a posthumous George Cross
(GC), the only GC ever presented to a woman in peacetime. Her medal was accepted on her behalf by her father, Alan. Harrison is the youngest ever female recipient of the George Cross. Neville Davis-Gordon was awarded the British Empire Medal
for Gallantry (BEM). John Davis was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
The citation for Barbara Jane Harrison's GC reads:-
The citation for Neville Davis-Gordon's BEM reads:-
, who witnessed the flight from Windsor Castle
.
British Overseas Airways Corporation
The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
service operated by a Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
-465 from 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...
bound for Sydney via Kloten
Kloten
-External links:* -References:...
, Zürich and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, which suffered an engine failure at takeoff that quickly led to a major fire. The engine fell off the aircraft in flight. Confusion over checklists and distractions from the presence of a check captain led to a major fire that killed five of the 127 on board after the aircraft had made a safe emergency landing.
The actions taken by those involved in the accident resulted in the award of a George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
, a British Empire Medal
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
and an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. As a direct result of the accident, BOAC changed the checklists for engine severe failures and engine fires, combining them both into one checklist, the "engine fire or severe failure" checklist.
Flight
Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
(16:27 BST
British Summer Time
Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland...
), 12 minutes later than scheduled. Flight 712 had 127 people aboard, including a crew augmented by the addition of an acting flight officer
Flight officer
The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces where it was an air force warrant officer rank. It was also an air force rank in several Commonwealth nations where it was used for female officers and was equivalent to the rank of flight lieutenant...
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
Radioactive decay
Radioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles . The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any physical interaction with another particle from outside the atom...
isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
from the Isotope Production Unit at Harwell
Atomic Energy Research Establishment
The Atomic Energy Research Establishment near Harwell, Oxfordshire, was the main centre for atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1990s.-Founding:...
destined for the University Hospital
Hadassah Medical Center
Hadassah Medical Center is a medical organization that operates two University hospitals at Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, Israel, as well as schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacology affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.The hospital was founded by Hadassah,...
in Jerusalem.
Seconds after take off from Heathrow's then 9000 feet (2,743.2 m) long runway 28L (now 27L), 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 Geoffrey 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!" A Mayday
Mayday
Mayday is a distress signalMayday or May Day may also refer to:* May Day, a holiday on or around May 1** International Workers' Day* Mayday, Colorado- Music :* Mayday , an electronic music festival* Mayday...
was broadcast at 15:29.
In the control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
, the takeoff had been observed by John Davis, who saw what he initially thought was the sun reflecting off the aircraft's wing during its initial climb. Davis quickly realised that the aircraft was on fire. Davis instructed Flight 712 to make a left turn, with the intention that the aircraft would land on runway 28L. He 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.
By this time, the windows on the port side at the rear of the fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
were beginning to melt. As the aircraft flew over Thorpe
Thorpe, Surrey
Thorpe is a village in Surrey, England, located between Egham and Chertsey. It lies just inside the circle of the western part of the M25, near the M3. Neighbouring villages include Virginia Water, Wentworth, Laleham and Lyne...
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. At this time, the undercarriage
Undercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
was lowered and full flap selected. The flaps stopped some three degrees short of their full travel. The aircraft was at a height of 3000 feet (914.4 m) and flying at 225 knots (441 km/h) 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.
The crew realised that the aircraft would not last long enough to enable a landing back on 28L, and declared a Mayday
Mayday (distress signal)
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning "come help me"....
. Davis cleared the aircraft to land on runway 05R, which was 7733 feet (2,357 m) long. He also instructed two other aircraft to perform an overshoot
Overshoot (aviation)
In aviation, an overshoot is an aborted landing. See: Go-around and Runway safety area.In air combat maneuvering, also called dogfighting, an overshoot can refer to three different situations. The first is referred to as a wingline overshoot...
, as runway 05R crossed runway 28R, which they were due to land on and Davis did not know whether Flight 712 would be able to stop before reaching that runway. The crew accepted Davis's offer of runway 05R, even though it was much shorter and not equipped with ILS
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
. Taylor was able to safely land the aircraft on 05R, using wheel brakes and reversing the outboard engines' thrust to halt the aircraft. The aircraft touched down about 400 yards (365.8 m) beyond the threshold and stopped in 1400 yards (1,280.2 m). 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. 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. Due to the short period of time between the Mayday being declared at 15:29 and the aircraft landing at 15:31, there was no time for the emergency services to lay a carpet of foam, which was standard practice at the time.
Evacuation
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 Steward Taylor climbed down to straighten it, leaving stewardess Barbara Jane HarrisonBarbara Jane Harrison
Barbara Jane Harrison, GC , was a British air stewardess. She is one of four women to have been awarded the George Cross for heroism, and the only one of the four not to have served with the Special Operations Executive in occupied France during the Second World War...
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. It was this action which led to the award of a George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
to Harrison. Thirty-eight people were injured, and five killed.
Fire-fighting
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. To make foam, the main transfer gearboxes of the fire engines had to be operated, which meant that the vehicles were unable to move. Problems with couplings on the fire hoses exacerbated the situation - the fire hydrants had been regularly painted, and a build up of paint on the coupling threads prevented the hoses from being attached to the hydrants. The driver of a back-up foam tender drove in closer to the burning aircraft and discharged his foam effectively, but the fire had already gained hold by the time this happened.Casualties
The five people killed in the accident were Barbara Jane HarrisonBarbara Jane Harrison
Barbara Jane Harrison, GC , was a British air stewardess. She is one of four women to have been awarded the George Cross for heroism, and the only one of the four not to have served with the Special Operations Executive in occupied France during the Second World War...
; Esther Cohen, an elderly woman using a wheelchair; Mary Smith, a widowed woman on her way to visit her brothers; Catherine Shearer, an Australian teacher; and Jacqueline Cooper, an eight year old girl who was emigrating to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
with her family.
Arrest of passenger
One of the passengers had been due to appear at DarlingtonDarlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
Magistrates' Court on a charge of indecent assault
Indecent assault
Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in many jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime.Indecent assault was an offence in England and Wales under sections 14 and 15 the Sexual Offences Act 1956...
on the day of the accident. His name was recognised by police when it appeared on a list of survivors and he was arrested 15 minutes before he could board a replacement flight to Australia. The man appeared at Darlington Magistrates' Court on 10 April where he pled guilty to the charge and was remanded in custody for 19 days whilst a medical report was prepared.
Cause and results
In the subsequent investigation, metal fatigueMetal Fatigue
Metal Fatigue , is a futuristic science fiction, real-time strategy computer game developed by Zono Incorporated and published by Psygnosis and TalonSoft .-Plot:...
was ultimately blamed for the failure of the number five compressor wheel in the number two Rolls Royce 508 Conway
Rolls-Royce Conway
The Rolls-Royce RB.80 Conway was the first by-pass engine in the world to enter service. Development started at Rolls-Royce in the 1940s, but it was used only briefly in the late 1950s and early 1960s before other turbofan designs were introduced that replaced it. The Conway powered versions of...
turbofan
Turbofan
The turbofan is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used for aircraft propulsion. A turbofan combines two types of engines, the turbo portion which is a conventional gas turbine engine, and the fan, a propeller-like ducted fan...
engine, 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. The fire warning bell had been accidentally cancelled by Check Captain Moss instead of the undercarriage warning bell. Moss had also issued orders to Captain Taylor, in breach of the normal protocol for his duties. However, the report into the accident also stated that Captain Taylor had briefed Moss to act as an extra set of eyes and ears inside and outside the cockpit. Moss's actions therefore could be seen as acting within that remit.
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.
Crew
- CaptainPilot in commandThe pilot in command of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the "captain" in a typical two- or three-pilot flight crew, or "pilot" if there is only one certified and qualified pilot at the controls of...
Charles Taylor - Flight EngineerFlight engineerFlight engineers work in three types of aircraft: fixed-wing , rotary wing , and space flight .As airplanes became even larger requiring more engines and complex systems to operate, the workload on the two pilots became excessive during certain critical parts of the flight regime, notably takeoffs...
Thomas Hicks - First Officer Francis Kirkland
- ActingActing (rank)An Acting rank, is a military designation allowing an commissioned- or non-commissioned officer to assume a rank—usually higher and usually temporary—with the pay and allowances appropriate to that grade. As such, an officer may be ordered back to the previous grade...
First Officer John Hutchinson - Check Captain Geoffrey Moss
- Chief StewardFlight attendantFlight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
Neville Davis-Gordon - Stewardess Barbara Jane HarrisonBarbara Jane HarrisonBarbara Jane Harrison, GC , was a British air stewardess. She is one of four women to have been awarded the George Cross for heroism, and the only one of the four not to have served with the Special Operations Executive in occupied France during the Second World War...
- Steward Andrew McCarthy
- Stewardess Jennifer Suares
- Steward Bryan Taylor
- Stewardess Rosalind Unwin
Passengers
- Katriel Katz, Israeli Ambassador to the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Katz had been expelled from the Soviet Union by Andrei GromykoAndrei GromykoAndrei Andreyevich Gromyko was a Soviet statesman during the Cold War. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet . Gromyko was responsible for many top decisions on Soviet foreign policy until he retired in 1987. In the West he was given the...
when it became clear that the Six-Day WarSix-Day WarThe Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
would happen. Gromyko is said to have told Katz not to let his emotions get the better of him, advice he was to ignore in the emergency that was to befall him. During the evacuation from the aircraft, Katz was the only passenger to escape through the forward port door, despite the efforts of Hutchinson and Unwin to stop him using that door. The two flight crew were almost carried out through the door by Katz, who was a large man. Katz was seriously injured in jumping from the doorway. He was taken to Hillingdon HospitalHillingdon HospitalHillingdon Hospital is an NHS hospital, located in Pield Heath Road, Hillingdon, Greater London. It is a general hospital serving the local area, providing a wide variety of services including Accident and Emergency , In-patients, Day Surgery and Outpatient Clinics...
where it was initially feared that he would become the sixth victim of Flight 712. Katz recovered after a few days. He died in 1988 aged 80.
- Mark WynterMark WynterMark Wynter is an English actor and former singer, who had four Top 20 singles in the 1960s, including "Venus in Blue Jeans" and "Go Away Little Girl"...
, pop singer was travelling to Australia for his marriage to Janeece Corlass. On evacuating the aircraft, Wynter escorted a dazed young girl away from the burning aircraft. They both ran some 300 yards (274.3 m) to the offices of British EagleBritish EagleBritish Eagle International Airlines was a major British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline that operated from 1948 to 1968....
where they were attended to. Wynter had suffered a sprained left ankle and a broken bone in his right foot during the evacuation. He did not postpone the wedding, which took place on 19 April as scheduled in Melbourne. Wynter flew out to Australia a few days before the wedding. BOAC upgraded his ticket to first class.
Aircraft involved
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 707-465 registered G-ARWE (manufacturer's serial number 18373, Boeing line number 302). First flown on 27 June 1962 the aircraft was originally to have been operated by Cunard Eagle AirwaysBritish Eagle
British Eagle International Airlines was a major British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline that operated from 1948 to 1968....
, 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
Honolulu International Airport
Honolulu International Airport is the principal aviation gateway of the City & County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii and is identified as one of the busiest airports in the United States, with traffic now exceeding 21 million passengers a year and rising.It is located in the Honolulu...
. The take off was aborted, there were no injuries to any of the passengers or crew. At the time of the Heathrow accident, the aircraft had flown for a total of 20,870 hours. The aircraft was insured for £2,200,000 with Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
.
To replace G-ARWE, BOAC negotiated with Saturn Airways
Saturn Airways
Saturn Airways was a US "supplemental carrier", i.e. a charter airline. It operated from 1948 until 1976. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Oakland International Airport, Oakland, California.- History :The airline was initially known as All American Airways and used Curtiss C-46...
to receive one of the three Boeing 707s that they had ordered. The aircraft was delivered to BOAC in June 1968 and entered service in late July. This particular aircraft was powered by Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
engines.
Salvage
The nose section of G-ARWE was salvaged, and used on a Boeing 707-331B, TWA'sTrans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
N28714, c/n 18408. The recipient aircraft was previously registered N779TW, which had been hijacked on a flight
TWA Flight 840 (1969)
TWA Flight 840 was a Trans World Airlines flight from Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport in Rome, Italy to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, that was hijacked on 29 August 1969...
from Rome
Leonardo da Vinci International Airport
Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport , also commonly known as Fiumicino Airport, is Italy's largest airport with 36.3 million passengers served in 2010, located in Fiumicino, 35 km from Rome's historic city centre....
to Athens
Ellinikon International Airport
Ellinikon International Airport , sometimes spelled Hellinikon was the international airport of Athens, Greece for sixty years up until 2001 when it was replaced by the new Athens International Airport. It is located south of Athens, and just west of Glyfada...
. Its cockpit had been destroyed by a bomb at Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria, on 29 August 1968. It was found that the rest of the airframe was undamaged. The nose section of G-ARWE remained intact after the fire, and thus was fitted to N776TW. That aircraft was test flown on 4 December 1969 and flew with TWA for another ten years as N28714. In March 1980 it was withdrawn from service and stored at Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport , originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public airport located 15 miles northwest of the central business district of Kansas City, in Platte County, Missouri, United States. In 2008, 10,469,892 passengers used the airport...
. In 1983 it was sold to Boeing and flown to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base for use as spares for the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
KC-135 Stratotanker
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
fleet. N28714's registration was cancelled in March 1984.
Awards
Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
awarded Barbara Jane Harrison a posthumous George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
(GC), the only GC ever presented to a woman in peacetime. Her medal was accepted on her behalf by her father, Alan. Harrison is the youngest ever female recipient of the George Cross. Neville Davis-Gordon was awarded the British Empire Medal
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
for Gallantry (BEM). John Davis was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
The citation for Barbara Jane Harrison's GC reads:-
The citation for Neville Davis-Gordon's BEM reads:-
Book
In April 2008, a book was published on the accident. The book has an introduction by the Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, who witnessed the flight from Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
.
See also
Other accidents in which aircrew were decorated include:-- Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Flight 514Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Flight 514Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise Flight 514 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Udachny, Russia, to Moscow. On 7 September 2010, the Tupolev Tu-154M RA-85684 aircraft suffered a complete electrical failure en route, leading to a loss of navigational systems...
- US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...