 A Vickers Viking, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 September 1958 (1958-09-02) |
| Summary | Pilot error following engine failure |
| Site | Southall 51°31′11″N 0°22′18″W / 51.5196°N 0.3718°W / 51.5196; -0.3718 |
| Total fatalities | 11 |
| Total survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Vickers VC.1 Viking |
| Operator | Independent Air Travel |
| Registration | G-AIJE |
| Flight origin | London Heathrow Airport |
| Stopover | Nice |
| 1st stopover | Brindisi |
| Last stopover | Athens |
| Destination | Tel Aviv |
| Occupants | 7 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 7 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 4 |
On 2 September 1958, an Independent Air Travel Vickers VC.1 Viking (registration G-AIJE), with three crew members aboard and loaded with two Bristol Proteus turboprop engines, crashed after taking off from London Heathrow Airport, en route to Athens via Tel Aviv, Nice and Brindisi.
Accident
The aircraft took off from Heathrow at 05:54 GMT but minutes into the flight the flight crew reported engine problems and requested a return to Blackbushe Airport. The crew was cleared by Air Traffic Control to descend to 3000 feet, but they were unable to maintain this altitude and continued descending. A Mayday call was made from the aircraft at 06:32 GMT, shortly before it crashed into a row of houses on Kelvin Gardens, Southall, Middlesex. The aircraft burst into flames on impact, killing all three crew members as well as four people on the ground, a mother and three children. Witnesses reported that they saw one of the crew waving from inside the aircraft just before it crashed.
Cause
According to the Public inquiry which investigated the accident, the probable cause of the accident was that "the aircraft was allowed to lose height and flying speed with the result that the pilot was no longer able to exercise asymmetric control." While the reasons for the loss of power and the subsequent loss of height and speed were not known, the public inquiry found a number of serious flaws in the operation of Independent Air Travel and the maintenance of the aircraft. Maintenance had been carried out on one of the aircraft propellers at Heathrow on the night before the accident by personnel who were not qualified to carry out the work. The aircraft was overloaded and the pilot had not had adequate rest, having effectively been on duty for 31 hours 30 minutes compared with the 16 hours required by the regulations (This took advantage of a loophole in regulations that allowed crew to carry out flights during "rest" hours if no passengers or cargo was carried.). Check flights, which should have tested the pilot's ability to handle the aircraft at high weights and with one engine out were found to be "perfunctory" and did not adequately prove the pilot's ability to handle the aircraft with one engine failed.
The report stated that "it is quite clear...that the policy of this company was to keep its aircraft in the air at all costs and without any real regard for the requirements of maintenance." and that "it is not difficult for employers who are not unduly concerned to observe the regulations, to drive their employees and . . . to induce them to disregard the regulations designed to ensure safety in the air."
Aftermath
Brian Gibbons, a 14-year-old schoolboy, was awoken by the crash, which ignited a fire in his house. Despite receiving severe burns to his body he managed to save himself and his infant nephew by jumping from his window into the arms of rescuers. For his heroism he received the civilian class of the George Medal from Elizabeth II in 1959 making him the youngest male to have received the award.
References
- ^ Flight 21 August 1959, p.51.
- ^ Aviation Safety Network.
- British Pathe newsreel, 4 September 1958.
- Flight 28 August 1959, p.91.
- "No. 41688". The London Gazette. 17 April 1959. p. 2617.
- "Morning Disaster". British Pathe. 4 September 1958. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
- "Air Commerce: The Southall Accident: Report of the Public Inquiry". Flight, 21 August 1959, p. 58.
- "Air Commerce: Southall: The Aftermath". Flight, 28 August 1959. p. 91.
- Vickers 621 Viking 1 G-AIJE London Airport (LHR). Aviation Safety Network. 15 April 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
| Aviation accidents and incidents in 1958 (1958) | |
|---|---|
| Jan 15 Channel Airways DH.104 DoveFeb 5 Tybee Island mid-air collisionFeb 6 Munich air disasterFeb 27 Winter Hill disasterApr 6 Capital Airlines Flight 67Apr 21 United Airlines Flight 736May 20 Capital Airlines Flight 300May 25 Dan Air Avro YorkJun 2 Aeronaves de México Flight 111Jun 9 Aeroflot Flight 105Jun 27 Westover Air Force Base KC-135 crashAug 9 Central African Airways Flight 890Aug 14 KLM Flight 607–EAug 15 Aeroflot Flight 4Aug 15 Northeast Airlines Flight 258Sep 2 London Vickers VikingSep 2 1958 C-130 shootdown incidentSep 5 Aeroflot Flight 365Sep 7 Aeroflot Flight 164Sep 19 Lazo Il-12 crashSep 20 Syerston Avro Vulcan crashOct 17 Aeroflot Тu-104 Kanash crashOct 22 BEA Flight 142Dec 4 Aviaco LanguedocDec 24 BOAC Bristol Britannia | |
| 1957 ◄ ► 1959 |
- Aviation accidents and incidents in 1958
- Aviation accidents and incidents in London
- Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain
- Accidents and incidents involving the Vickers VC.1 Viking
- 1958 in London
- Southall
- September 1958 events in the United Kingdom
- 20th century in Middlesex
- Disasters in Middlesex
- 1958 disasters in the United Kingdom
- History of the London Borough of Ealing
- Airliner accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom