1965 British European Airways Vickers Vanguard crash

1965 aviation incident in London This article is about the 1965 crash. For the 1971 crash, see British European Airways Flight 706 (1971).

British European Airways Flight 706
Accident
A Vickers Vanguard 951 of British European Airways
Date	27 October 1965 (1965-10-27)
Summary	Crashed due to pilot error in low visibility during landing approach
Site	London Heathrow Airport, London 51°28′39″N 0°27′41″W / 51.4775°N 0.461389°W / 51.4775; -0.461389
Total fatalities	36
Total injuries	0
Total survivors	0
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Vickers Vanguard 951
Operator	British European Airways
Registration	G-APEE
Flight origin	Turnhouse Airport, Edinburgh
Destination	Heathrow Airport, London
Occupants	36
Passengers	30
Crew	6
Fatalities	36
Injuries	0
Survivors	0

The 1965 British European Airways Vickers Vanguard crash was a domestic flight operated by a Vickers Vanguard 951 aircraft of British European Airways (BEA). On Wednesday, 27 October 1965, the aircraft crashed during landing at London Heathrow Airport, causing the deaths of all 36 people on board. At the time It was one of the deadliest aviation disasters in the United Kingdom.

Aircraft

The Vickers Vanguard 951, registered as G-APEE, was a turboprop airliner built in 1959. It was designed for short- and medium-range flights and was then one of the fastest turboprop airliners.

Circumstances

The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Edinburgh Turnhouse Airport to Heathrow. The flight departed from Edinburgh at 23:17 on 26 October. The flight was uneventful until the aircraft approached London when, during the final approach to runway 28R, the aircraft encountered fog, with reports indicating visibility was less than 50 metres. Making an ILS approach with ATC talking it down through Precision Approach Radar, the aircraft overshot the runway twice and then entered hold. On hearing another Vanguard had made its landing, the pilot made another attempt but on its final approach to runway 28R, the crew decided to overshoot, taking the nose up and reducing flaps. However the aircraft crashed 2,600 feet from the threshold at around 01:23 and burst into flames, killing everyone on board.

Investigation and findings

The investigation into the crash revealed several key factors:

The visibility at the time of the crash was significantly below the required minimum for landing. Despite this, there was no evidence that the pilot was operating below the prescribed limits set by BEA for such conditions.

The investigation attributed the crash to pilot error. Contributing factors included low visibility, incorrect information given to the pilot, pilot fatigue, anxiety, lack of experience in landing in fog, and a series of procedural errors during the landing attempts. The aircraft had performed two missed approaches before the crash, and the final approach was marked by an incorrect flap selection and a misjudged descent rate, leading to a steep dive into the runway.

Memorial

A memorial plaque was installed at Edinburgh Airport to honour the victims of the crash. The tragic event is remembered as one of the significant accidents in BEA's history, contributing to advancements in aviation safety and maintenance protocols.

References

"Crash of a Vickers 951 Vanguard in London: 36 killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
ICAO Circular p70, 72-73
^ "Edinburgh plane crash victims remembered 50 years on". Edinburgh Evening News. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
"Aviation Safety Network". flightsafety.org. Retrieved 2024-08-06. citing ICAO Circular 88-AN/74 Volume III (70-82)
"Edinburgh Airport tribute to victims of 1965 crash". Daily Express. Retrieved 2024-08-06.

"ICAO Circular 88-AN/74 Volume III" (PDF). p. 70-82.

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1965 (1965)
Jan 4 Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20Jan 16 USAF KC-135 Wichita crashFeb 6 LAN-Chile Flight 107Feb 8 Eastern Air Lines Flight 663Mar 7 Aeroflot Flight 542Mar 8 Aeroflot Flight 513Apr 14 British United Airways Flight 1030XMay 5 Iberia Flight 401May 20 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705Jun 28 Pan Am Flight 843Jul 1 Continental Airlines Flight 12Jul 6 Little Baldon Hastings crashJul 8 Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21Jul 10 Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748Jul 20 Cambrian Airways Liverpool crashJul 23 Allegheny Airlines Flight 604Aug 16 United Air Lines Flight 389Aug 24 Hong Kong US Marines KC-130F CrashSep 17 Pan Am Flight 292Sep 19 Gujarat Beechcraft incidentOct 20 Philippine Air Lines Flight 741Oct 27 British European Airways Flight 706Nov 2 Argentine Air Force C-54 disappearanceNov 8 American Airlines Flight 383Nov 11 United Air Lines Flight 227Nov 11 Aeroflot Flight 99Dec 4 Carmel mid-air collisionDec 5 Philippine Sea A-4 incident
1964 ◄ ► 1966

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1965 (1965)

Jan 4 Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20Jan 16 USAF KC-135 Wichita crashFeb 6 LAN-Chile Flight 107Feb 8 Eastern Air Lines Flight 663Mar 7 Aeroflot Flight 542Mar 8 Aeroflot Flight 513Apr 14 British United Airways Flight 1030XMay 5 Iberia Flight 401May 20 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705Jun 28 Pan Am Flight 843Jul 1 Continental Airlines Flight 12Jul 6 Little Baldon Hastings crashJul 8 Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21Jul 10 Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748Jul 20 Cambrian Airways Liverpool crashJul 23 Allegheny Airlines Flight 604Aug 16 United Air Lines Flight 389Aug 24 Hong Kong US Marines KC-130F CrashSep 17 Pan Am Flight 292Sep 19 Gujarat Beechcraft incidentOct 20 Philippine Air Lines Flight 741Oct 27 British European Airways Flight 706Nov 2 Argentine Air Force C-54 disappearanceNov 8 American Airlines Flight 383Nov 11 United Air Lines Flight 227Nov 11 Aeroflot Flight 99Dec 4 Carmel mid-air collisionDec 5 Philippine Sea A-4 incident

1964 ◄ ► 1966

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom in the 1960s
1962	Channel Airways Dakota accident (May 1962)
1963	BAC One-Eleven test crash (October 1963)
1965	British United Airways Flight 1030X (April 1965)* Little Baldon air crash (6 July 1965) Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748 crash (11 July 1965) Cambrian Airways Liverpool crash (20 July 1965) Pan Am Flight 292 (September 1965)* British European Airways Flight 706 (October 1965)
1966	Felthorpe Trident crash (June 1966) Holden's Lightning flight (July 1966)
1967	Stockport air disaster (June 1967) Iberia Flight 062 (November 1967)
1968	Hawker Hunter Tower Bridge incident (5 April 1968) BOAC Flight 712 (8 April 1968) BKS Air Transport Flight C.6845 (July 1968)
1969	Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 (January 1969) 1969 theft of C-130 (May 1969)
Accidents and incidents in Crown Dependencies and current Overseas Territories are marked with an asterisk (*). 1950–1959 ◄ 1960–1969 ► 1970–1979

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