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British United Airways Flight 1030X

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Fatal aviation incident in 1965

British United Airways Flight 1030X
A DC-3 of British United Airways similar to the accident aircraft
Occurrence
Date14 April 1965
SummaryPilot error in fog
SiteJersey, Channel Islands
49°12′21″N 02°13′06″W / 49.20583°N 2.21833°W / 49.20583; -2.21833
Aircraft
Aircraft typeDouglas C-47
OperatorBritish United (C.I.) Airways
RegistrationG-ANTB
Occupants27
Passengers23
Crew4
Fatalities26
Injuries1
Survivors1

British United Airways Flight 1030X crashed on 14 April 1965 on Jersey in the Channel Islands. Poor visibility and low cloud cover resulted in an aborted landing attempt, leading to a second attempt which ended with the Douglas C-47B hitting the outermost pole of the approach lighting system before crashing into a field and catching fire. The crash killed all 23 passengers and three of the crew on board; a flight attendant was the only survivor of the accident.

The aircraft

The aircraft was a Douglas C-47B-20-DK (registration: G-ANTB), converted to a DC-3 for civil use, that had its first flight in 1945, with a total of 18,544 flying hours before the accident. It was being operated by British United (C.I.) Airways, an affiliate of British United Airways.

Accident

British United Airways' extra scheduled passenger flight 1030X took off from Paris-Orly Airport in France to Jersey Airport, Channel Islands, with 27 passengers and crew on board. Low cloud cover at Jersey likely made it hard for the pilots to see the runway, leading to an aborted first landing attempt. On the second landing attempt, the aircraft's starboard wing hit the outermost pole of the approach lighting system at a height of 58 ft (18 m), 3,000 ft (910 m) short of the runway threshold. The impact severed the starboard wing; the aircraft then rolled upside-down and crashed. The flight deck of the aircraft was crushed, and the cabin engulfed in flames. All 23 passengers, most of whom were believed to be French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese migrant farm workers, along with three of the four crew members, were killed. The only survivor was a French flight attendant who was sitting in the rear of the cabin, which had separated from the remainder of the fuselage following the impact. She was badly injured, with two broken legs.

Cause

The accident investigation concluded that the accident was the result of the pilot attempting to land in visibility that was far below that laid down by the airline's procedures. The weather in the Channel Islands had been poor all day, with many flights cancelled. Despite being informed during the flight of the poor and deteriorating conditions, the pilot elected not to divert to another airport. The accident report recommended considering mounting approach lights on frangible masts to avoid a similar catastrophe, and further recommended a re-consideration of regulations for operating in poor weather.

References

  1. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47B-20-DK G-ANTB Jersey-States Airport, Channel Islands (JER)". Aviation Safety Network.
  2. ^ Flight International, 5 May 1966, p. 755
  3. ^ Daytona Beach Morning Journal, 15 April 1965
  4. The Gazette, 15 April 1965

External links

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 Vickers Vanguard crashNov 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 the United Kingdom in the 1960s
1962
1963
1965
1966
1967
1968
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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