Incident Overview
Date: Sunday 23 February 1964
Aircraft Type: Vickers 732 Viscount
Owner/operator: United Arab Airlines – UAA
Registration Number: SU-AKX
Location: Beirut International Airport (BEY) –
ÿ Lebanon
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 53
Component Affected: Right Main GearRight Main Gear
Category: Accident
A Viscount aircraft, approaching Beirut runway 21 during heavy rainfall, experienced a catastrophic landing due to a downdraft. The aircraft?s touchdown caused excessive ground contact, resulting in a significant impact with the right main gear, leading to spar failure and propeller damage. The aircraft subsequently came to rest on soft ground.A Viscount aircraft, approaching Beirut runway 21 during heavy rainfall, experienced a catastrophic landing due to a downdraft. The aircraft?s touchdown caused excessive ground contact, resulting in a significant impact with the right main gear, leading to spar failure and propeller damage. The aircraft subsequently came to rest on soft ground.
Description
The Viscount approached Beirut runway 21 in heavy rainfall. Downdraft just prior to touchdown, caused the plane to touch down very heavily, causing it to become airborne again. The aircraft hit the ground again with the right main gear, causing the right main spar to fail and the wing, together with the no. 3 and 4 propellers, to hit the ground. The Viscount came to rest just off the runway on soft ground. PROBABLE CAUSE: “Failure of the pilot-in-command to take action: firstly to counteract the effect of a downdraft on final approach and, secondly, to react correctly to a bounce to a height of approximately thirty feet.”
Primary Cause
Failure of the pilot-in-command to take action: firstly to counteract the effect of a downdraft on final approach and, secondly, to react correctly to a bounce to a height of approximately thirty feet.Failure of the pilot-in-command to take action: firstly to counteract the effect of a downdraft on final approach and, secondly, to react correctly to a bounce to a height of approximately thirty feet.Share on:
