Date:	Thursday 27 November 1969
Time:	10:20
Type:	Vickers VC-10-1151
Owner/operator:	BOAC
Registration:	G-ASGK
MSN:	861
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 69
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	near Reading, Berkshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL)
Destination airport:	New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY (JFK/KJFK),
Investigating agency:	AIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Vickers VC-10 Series 1151 G-ASGK operated by BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation): Substantially damaged 27 November 1969 over Reading, Berkshire, shortly after take off from London Heathrow Airport.

During the en route climb following a a normal departure from London Heathrow Airport for a flight to New York. A failure occurred in the No.3 engine which caused the complete detachment of the thrust reverser, exhaust cone assembly and cowling. Fragment from No.3 caused damage to No.4 which then caught fire. Both engine were shut down and the fire went out. The aircraft returned to Heathrow and made a successful overweight landing. None of the 58 passengers and 11 crew were injured in the incident. No injures were caused to people on the ground although the parts which fell away from the aircraft in flight caused damage to property in the Reading area. There was damage to the VC-10's engines made a small hole in the rear fuselage, penetrating the pressure hull.

The VC10 had flown 6,527hr in service and number three engine was fitted on July 1. The two engines are being removed and will go to the BOAC overhaul centre at Treforest for inspection.

British airworthiness requirements stipulate that any single failed compressor or turbine blade must be contained within the engine casing. Multiple blade failures or turbine-disc disintegrations are not required to be contained. The probability of such failures is considered remote and the weight penalty of catering for them unacceptable

PROBABLE CAUSE: The Air Accident Investigation Branch determines that the probable cause was the sequence of failure of No.3 engine started with the shedding of the blades from the 2nd stage of low pressure turbine wheel during the take off phase.

1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/54230475ed915d1374000c17/6-1971_G-ASGK.pdf
2. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ASGK.pdf
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File DR 11/61: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1200958
4. http://www.vc10.net/History/incidents_and_accidents.html#Engine Disintegrates
5. Flight International 4 December 1969: https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%203319.html
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_VC10#Accidents_and_incidents
7. G-ASGK at London Heathrow in 1970: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1155445

Vickers VC-10 of BOAC at London Heathrow (LHR) in 1970 (photo caption wrongly dated 1977 - G-ASGK was in British Airways livery from 1974 onwards):

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
19-Nov-2011 02:16	ryan	Added
24-Mar-2013 13:27	ryan	Updated [Time, Cn, Source, Narrative]
16-Oct-2015 21:32	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Embed code]
16-Oct-2015 21:33	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Embed code]
17-Oct-2015 18:12	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
25-Feb-2016 19:33	TB	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Source]
31-Mar-2020 10:42	harro	Updated [Nature, Accident report, ]
30-Sep-2020 19:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report]