Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Date: | Saturday 2 October 1971 |
Time: | 11:10 |
Type: | Vickers 951 Vanguard |
Operator: | British European Airways - BEA |
Registration: | G-APEC |
MSN: | 706 |
First flight: | 1959-10-17 (12 years) |
Total airframe hrs: | 21683 |
Cycles: | 17261 |
Engines: | 4 Rolls-Royce Tyne 506 |
Crew: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 |
Passengers: | Fatalities: 55 / Occupants: 55 |
Total: | Fatalities: 63 / Occupants: 63 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
Location: | 1 km (0.6 mls) E of Aarsele ( Belgium)
|
Phase: | En route (ENR) |
Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
Departure airport: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL), United Kingdom |
Destination airport: | Salzburg-W. A. Mozart Airport (SZG/LOWS), Austria |
Flightnumber: | 706 |
Narrative:En route from London (LHR) to Salzburg (SZG) at an altitude 19000 feet the rear pressure bulkhead ruptured. An explosive decompression of the fuselage occurred, causing serious interior damage and severe distortion of upper tailplane skin attachments. The tail surfaces subsequently detached, causing the airplane to enter a steep dive. The Vanguard spiraled down out of control and crashed in a field next to a highway.
During the investigation corrosion was found in the lower part of the rear pressure bulkhead underneath plating that was bonded to the structure. The bond was completely delaminated in this area and the bulkhead material literally eaten away. Fluid contamination, perhaps from the lavatory, was thought to have been the root cause for the corrosion.
Probable Cause:
CAUSE: "The accident was caused by the rupture of the rear pressure bulkhead, which led to the separation both tailplanes in flight and caused the aircraft to dive into the ground."
Accident investigation:
|
Investigating agency: | AIB (U.K.) |
Status: | Investigation completed |
Duration: | 10 months | Accident number: | AAR 15/1972 | Download report: | Final report
|
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Classification:
Explosive decompression
Pressure bulkhead failure
Fuselage failure
Loss of control
Sources:
» Applying Lessons Learned From Accidents : Accident/Incident Summary Japan Airlines Flight 123, Boeing 747, Gunma Prefecture Japan
Follow-up / safety actions
Inspections of other Vickers Vanguard planes revealed similar corrosion in eight other aircraft. Inspection procedures were revised and the airplane was modified to improve access to the inspected area. The frequency of inspections was increased considerably.
Photos
accident date:
02-10-1971type: Vickers 951 Vanguard
registration: G-APEC
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from London-Heathrow Airport to Salzburg-W. A. Mozart Airport as the crow flies is 1043 km (652 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
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.