Incident Overview
Date: Wednesday 14 April 1965
Aircraft Type: Douglas C-47B-20-DK (DC-3)
Owner/operator: British United Airways – BUA
Registration Number: G-ANTB
Location: 1 km E of Jersey-States Airport, Channel Islands (JER) –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 26 / Occupants: 27
Component Affected: Approach lighting system (pole)Approach lighting system (pole)
Category: Accident
A DC-3 aircraft, operating in deteriorating weather conditions near Jersey, initiated a runway 27 approach. Due to low cloud cover and poor visibility, the aircraft strayed below the safe approach path, resulting in a direct impact with the outermost pole of the approach lighting system. The aircraft crashed into a field, causing significant damage and fire. The air hostess survived the accident.A DC-3 aircraft, operating in deteriorating weather conditions near Jersey, initiated a runway 27 approach. Due to low cloud cover and poor visibility, the aircraft strayed below the safe approach path, resulting in a direct impact with the outermost pole of the approach lighting system. The aircraft crashed into a field, causing significant damage and fire. The air hostess survived the accident.
Description
Weather at Jersey was deteriorating and the runway visual range was below minima. The crew decided to continue to Jersey and attempt a runway 27 approach. The first approach had to abandoned and a second approach was made during which the aircraft struck outermost pole of the approach lighting system at 58 feet height, 3000 feet short of the threshold. The DC-3 crashed into a field and caught fire. The air hostess survived the accident. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The aircraft struck the approach lighting when it was flown below the safe approach path during an approach to land in conditions of very low cloud and poor visibility, the pilot having disregarded the approach ban applied by his operations manual.”
Primary Cause
Aircraft struck approach lighting system due to flight path deviation during low-visibility conditions.Aircraft struck approach lighting system due to flight path deviation during low-visibility conditions.Share on:
