Date:	Thursday 14 March 1957
Time:	13:46
Type:	Vickers 701 Viscount
Owner/operator:	British European Airways - BEA
Registration:	G-ALWE
MSN:	4
Year of manufacture:	1952
Total airframe hrs:	6902 hours
Cycles:	4553 flights
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 20 / Occupants: 20
Other fatalities:	2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Wythenshawe -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport (AMS/EHAM)
Destination airport:	Manchester-Ringway Airport (MAN/EGCC)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Viscount G-ALWE (the first Viscount 701 type to be manufactured) approached Manchester-Ringway Airport following a flight from Amsterdam. After a GCA (Ground Control Approach) approach, the aircraft broke through the lowest clouds and the crew continued the approach visually. The approach was uneventful until it was about 1 mile short of the runway. The aircraft was seen to enter a shallow right descending turn with a steepening bank angle. The right wingtip touched the ground and the aircraft crashed into houses 85 yards further on. It appeared that the aileron became locked when the no. 2 flap unit of the starboard wing moved away from the trailing edge member following failure of a lug and bolt of the flap fitting.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The fracture, due to fatigue, of he 9/16 inch bolt holding the bottom of the No2 starboard flap unit."

ICAO Accident Digest No.9, Circular 56-AN/51 (76-87)

photo (c) RuthAS; Manchester Airport (MAN/EGCC); 1953; (CC:by)

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