Vickers 754D Viscount – OD-ADE

Incident Overview

Date: Friday 1 February 1963

Aircraft Type: Vickers 754D Viscount

Owner/operator: Middle East Airlines – MEA

Registration Number: OD-ADE

Location: Ulus District, Ankara – ÿ Trkiye

Phase of Flight: Approach

Status: Destroyed, written off

Casualties: Fatalities: 14 / Occupants: 14

Component Affected: Viscount’s Nose and starboard wing, C-47 aircraft’s left horizontal stabilizer, the Viscount’s blade ends, the C-47’s left horizontal stabilizer, and the Viscount’s propeller blade ends.Viscount’s Nose and starboard wing, C-47 aircraft’s left horizontal stabilizer, the Viscount’s blade ends, the C-47’s left horizontal stabilizer, and the Viscount’s propeller blade ends.

Category: Accident

On October 26, 2023, a serious aviation incident occurred in Ankara, Turkey, resulting in the loss of 87 lives. A Vickers Viscount, OD-ADE registration, carrying a crew of five, was descending for an approach to runway 03 at Ankara Airport. Following a brief flight of approximately one hour and thirty minutes, the Viscount encountered a Douglas C-47 transport plane of the Turkish Air Force (CBK28) flying on an instrument training flight. The C-47 was flying on a heading of 243ø towards Etimesgut, and the Viscount was descending for 6500 feet. The Viscount, due to its lower speed, collided with the C-47, causing significant damage. The collision resulted in the Viscount’s nose and starboard wing striking the C-47’s left horizontal stabilizer, and the blade ends of the C-47’s propellers were broken off. The Viscount then immediately separated from the C-47, and the C-47 subsequently fell vertically. Prior to separation, the Viscount damaged the C-47’s left horizontal stabilizer, causing significant damage to the Viscount’s passenger cabin windows. The Viscount then flew a short distance before descending and falling. The collision was primarily caused by a combination of factors, including the Viscount’s IFR flight plan, cruising under VFR conditions, the initial impact angle, and the Viscount’s speed. The pilots of the Viscount did not perceive the C-47’s position below 7000 feet, and the Viscount’s higher speed caused it to close in on the C-47. The pilots attempted to avoid collision by pulling up, but were unsuccessful.On October 26, 2023, a serious aviation incident occurred in Ankara, Turkey, resulting in the loss of 87 lives. A Vickers Viscount, OD-ADE registration, carrying a crew of five, was descending for an approach to runway 03 at Ankara Airport. Following a brief flight of approximately one hour and thirty minutes, the Viscount encountered a Douglas C-47 transport plane of the Turkish Air Force (CBK28) flying on an instrument training flight. The C-47 was flying on a heading of 243ø towards Etimesgut, and the Viscount was descending for 6500 feet. The Viscount, due to its lower speed, collided with the C-47, causing significant damage. The collision resulted in the Viscount’s nose and starboard wing striking the C-47’s left horizontal stabilizer, and the blade ends of the C-47’s propellers were broken off. The Viscount then immediately separated from the C-47, and the C-47 subsequently fell vertically. Prior to separation, the Viscount damaged the C-47’s left horizontal stabilizer, causing significant damage to the Viscount’s passenger cabin windows. The Viscount then flew a short distance before descending and falling. The collision was primarily caused by a combination of factors, including the Viscount’s IFR flight plan, cruising under VFR conditions, the initial impact angle, and the Viscount’s speed. The pilots of the Viscount did not perceive the C-47’s position below 7000 feet, and the Viscount’s higher speed caused it to close in on the C-47. The pilots attempted to avoid collision by pulling up, but were unsuccessful.

Description

Middle East Airlines flight 265, a Vickers Viscount registered OD-ADE, was descending for Ankara-Esenboga Airport, Turkey and had been cleared for an approach to runway 03. Last radio contact was at 13:09 hours GMT when the flight reported being over the Ankara NDB at 8000 feet, descending for 6500 feet. The crew would contact Ankara again over the NDB when inbound. Earlier in the day, at 11:22 GMT, a Douglas C-47 transport plane of the Turkish Air Force (CBK28) had taken off from Ankara’s Etimesgut Air Base for an instrument training flight in the southeast region of the Glbasi beacon. The duration of the flight was planned for 1 hour 30 minutes . In this type of flight the student pilot is normally seated in the left-hand seat, an orange plexiglass panel is placed in front of him on the left half of the windshield, and he wears dark blue glasses. The instructor is in the right-hand seat and is able to maintain a lookout. The training manoeuvres had been completed, and the aircraft was returning to Etimesgut flying under visual flight rules by the time MEA flight 265 was descending for Esenboga Airport. The Viscount, cruising on a heading of 283ø, collided with the C-47 which was flying on a heading of 243ø towards Etimesgut. The lower right-hand-side of the Viscount’s nose and the starboard wing struck the C-47 from behind at a 40ø angle in the door area on its port side. Propeller no. 3 also struck the C-47’s left horizontal stabilizer, cutting it off. The blade ends broke off and remained with the tail unit of the C-47 near the base of the left horizontal stabilizer. The blade of propeller no. 4 cut the underside of the tip of the right horizontal stabilizer. Both aircraft flew together for a very short time then separated. The tail unit of the C-47 having been cut off, the C-47 fell vertically immediately thereafter. Prior to being cut off, the left horizontal stabilizer of the C-47 damaged the starboard side skin covering of the Viscount in the vicinity of the passenger cabin windows. This piece of skin covering broke off, and some of the passengers fell out through this hole. The Viscount flew a very short while following the separation of the two aircraft, then nosed down and fell. Both aircraft crashed into a residential area of Ankara, killing 87 people on the ground. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The Viscount aircraft had an IFR flight plan but was cruising under VFR conditions when it hit, with the lower side of the nose and with its starboard wing, the C-47 aircraft of the Turkish Air Force between the door on the port side of the fuselage and the tail group at an angle of forty degrees from the left rear and at an angle of approximately five to ten degrees upward. It cut off, with its starboard inner (No.3) propeller, the port side horizontal stabilizer of the C-47 aircraft. The pilots of the Viscount aircraft did not see the C-47 aircraft cruising below 7000ft on their right-hand side forward, and the Viscount, having a higher speed, caught up with the C-47 from the left rear. At the last moment the Viscount pilots saw the C-47 and tried to avoid the collision by pulling up, but they did not succeed.”

Source of Information

http://www.vickersviscount.net/Index/VickersViscount244History.aspxhttp://www.vickersviscount.net/Index/VickersViscount244History.aspx

Primary Cause

The most likely root cause of the incident was a combination of factors related to the Viscount’s flight operations and the initial impact. The incident occurred during a flight under VFR conditions, which is a condition where the pilot is not required to maintain a specific altitude. The Viscount’s speed and the initial impact angle, combined with the C-47’s position below 7000 feet, created a situation where the two aircraft collided. The pilots’ failure to accurately assess the C-47’s position and the Viscount’s speed contributed to the collision.The most likely root cause of the incident was a combination of factors related to the Viscount’s flight operations and the initial impact. The incident occurred during a flight under VFR conditions, which is a condition where the pilot is not required to maintain a specific altitude. The Viscount’s speed and the initial impact angle, combined with the C-47’s position below 7000 feet, created a situation where the two aircraft collided. The pilots’ failure to accurately assess the C-47’s position and the Viscount’s speed contributed to the collision.

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