Incident Overview
Date: Wednesday 3 July 1968
Aircraft Type: Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident 1C
Owner/operator: British European Airways – BEA
Registration Number: G-ARPI
Location: London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: Standing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Component Affected: WingWing
Category: Other
An Airspeed Ambassador, registered G-AMAD, experienced a catastrophic failure during approach to the runway at London Airport, resulting in a collision with two parked BEA HS-121 Trident aircraft. The wing dropped, causing damage to the aircraft and terminal building.An Airspeed Ambassador, registered G-AMAD, experienced a catastrophic failure during approach to the runway at London Airport, resulting in a collision with two parked BEA HS-121 Trident aircraft. The wing dropped, causing damage to the aircraft and terminal building.
Description
An Airspeed Ambassador, registered G-AMAD, was flying a cargo of 8 horses from Deauville to London. When approaching the runway 28R threshold at London Airport, the left wing suddenly dropped. The wingtip, followed by the left main gear wheels touched the grass to the left of the runway. The crew tried to increase power to go around, but the aircraft flew on with an increasing bank angle. The plane struck two parked BEA HS-121 Trident aircraft, burst into flames, rolled on its back and came to rest against the ground floor of the terminal building. Trident G-ARPT (msn 2121) was damaged beyond repair; G-ARPI had its fin and tailplane destroyed but was repaired.
Primary Cause
Wing failure during approach to the runway.Wing failure during approach to the runway.Share on:
