Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 7 January 1960
Aircraft Type: Vickers 802 Viscount
Owner/operator: British European Airways – BEA
Registration Number: G-AOHU
Location: London Airport (LHR) –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 59
Component Affected: Nose gearNose gear
Category: Accident
A Viscount aircraft landed at London Airport in heavy fog. Upon touchdown, the nose gear failed, causing the plane to skid 500 yards down the runway before coming to rest. A fire erupted in the nose section of the plane, severely damaging the fuselage. The incident was attributed to a failure by Air Traffic Control to notify the captain of a critical deterioration in runway visual range during his final approach, leading to an attempt to land in insufficient visual reference.A Viscount aircraft landed at London Airport in heavy fog. Upon touchdown, the nose gear failed, causing the plane to skid 500 yards down the runway before coming to rest. A fire erupted in the nose section of the plane, severely damaging the fuselage. The incident was attributed to a failure by Air Traffic Control to notify the captain of a critical deterioration in runway visual range during his final approach, leading to an attempt to land in insufficient visual reference.
Description
The Viscount landed at London Airport in fog. After touchdown the nose gear failed. The plane skidded some 500yds down the runway before coming to rest. A fire erupted in the nose section of the plane and almost destroyed the entire fuselage. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The failure of Air Traffic Control to notify the captain of a critical deterioration in runway Visual Range during his final approach. In consequence he attempted to land in a visibility which gave him insufficient visual reference with the result that the nosewheels contacted the runway before the mainwheels thereby overstressing the nose wheel unit and fracturing its attachments.”
Primary Cause
Failure of Air Traffic Control to notify the captain of a critical deterioration in runway visual range during his final approach.Failure of Air Traffic Control to notify the captain of a critical deterioration in runway visual range during his final approach.Share on:
