Narrative:The aircraft, a Viscount 806, was temporarily based in Johannesburg to conduct some test flights which included measured takeoffs and landings. At 10:40 the aircraft took off from runway 03. A circuit was flown and the captain was cleared to land back on runway 03. The aircraft passed the threshold at 400 feet. The angle of descent increased to 45deg until the aircraft leveled off at 70 feet above the runway, but the path of descent appeared to remain 45 degrees. On touchdown the main bogies appeared to move rearwards. The Viscount then bounced a few feet and landed back; heavy smoke emitting from the main gear. It finally swung off the runway and came to rest to the right of it, 1590 feet past the threshold.
The fuselage was used to build Vickers 806 Viscount c/n 418 which entered service with BEA (G-APOX) April 1959.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The misjudged roundout resulted in a heavy landing which caused the starboard undercarriage to collapse."
Classification:
Heavy landing
Runway mishap
Sources:
» ICAO Accident Digest No.9, Circular 56-AN/51 (201-203)
Photos
Map
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.