Incident Overview
Date: Wednesday 3 July 1968
Aircraft Type: Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident 1C
Owner/operator: British European Airways – BEA
Registration Number: G-ARPT
Location: London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: Standing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Component Affected: Left wingLeft wing
Category: Other
An Airspeed Ambassador, registered G-AMAD, experienced a catastrophic failure of its left wing during approach to the runway at London Airport. The wingtip impacted the ground, followed by the left main gear wheels, resulting in damage to two parked BEA HS-121 Trident aircraft and a terminal building. The aircraft subsequently rolled onto its back and came to rest.An Airspeed Ambassador, registered G-AMAD, experienced a catastrophic failure of its left wing during approach to the runway at London Airport. The wingtip impacted the ground, followed by the left main gear wheels, resulting in damage to two parked BEA HS-121 Trident aircraft and a terminal building. The aircraft subsequently rolled onto its back and came to rest.
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
Loss of control due to wing failure during critical approach.Loss of control due to wing failure during critical approach.Share on:
