Status:	Final
Date:	29 FEB 1964
Time:	14:14
Type:	Bristol 175 Britannia 312
Operator:	British Eagle International Airlines
Registration:	G-AOVO
C/n / msn:	13423
First flight:	1958
Crew:	Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8
Passengers:	Fatalities: 75 / Occupants: 75
Total:	Fatalities: 83 / Occupants: 83
Airplane damage:	Destroyed
Airplane fate:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	Mt. Glungezer (Austria)
Phase:	En route (ENR)
Nature:	International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:	London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL), United Kingdom
Destination airport:	Innsbruck-Kranebitten Airport (INN/LOWI), Austria
Flightnumber:	802/6

Narrative:
British Eagle Flight 802/6 departed London at 12:04 GMT with destination Innsbruck, Austria. At 13:35 the flight contacted Munich ATC and reported over the Kempten NDB nine minutes later, changing its IFR flight plan to VFR from Kempten to Innsbruck. Two minutes later the crew contacted Innsbruck and reported descending VMC directly to Seefeld. Over the Innsbruck VOR at FL110, the airplane was still unable to break the clouds. The last message from the flight was at 14:12 when it reported at FL100. The descent was continued until the airplane collided with the steep eastern flank of the Glungezer Mountain at an altitude of 2600m (8500 ft). An avalanche occurred, carrying most of the aircraft debris downhill for about 400m.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The primary cause was the erroneous decision of the pilot-in-command to descend, below the stipulated minimum safe altitude in the weather conditions prevailing at the time, as a result of which he was unable to conduct the flight in accordance with visual flight rules."

Events:

Sources:
» ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No.16, Circular 82-AN/69 (65-75)