Incident Overview
Date: Sunday 9 October 1960
Aircraft Type: Handley Page HP.81 Hermes IV
Owner/operator: Falcon Airways
Registration Number: G-ALDC
Location: Southend Municipal Airport (SEN) –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 76
Component Affected: Nose wheel strutNose wheel strut
Category: Accident
A Hermes plane experienced a landing failure at Southend airport, resulting in contact with an earth bank, leading to a nose wheel strut break and subsequent grounding onto a railway track. The aircraft aquaplaned during the landing run, hindering braking and contributing to the incident.A Hermes plane experienced a landing failure at Southend airport, resulting in contact with an earth bank, leading to a nose wheel strut break and subsequent grounding onto a railway track. The aircraft aquaplaned during the landing run, hindering braking and contributing to the incident.
Description
The Hermes plane returned from a charter flight to Spain when it landed at Southend and overran the runway. The plane struck an earth bank adjacent to the airport boundary. Contact with this bank broke the nose wheel strut from its upper attachment. The plane came to rest on an adjoining railway track. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The accident was due to the aircraft aquaplaning during part of the landing run. The low frictional values during this condition prevented the captain from obtaining effective braking.”
Primary Cause
Aircraft aquaplaning during the landing run.Aircraft aquaplaning during the landing run.Share on:
