Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador

On touchdown at Gatwick Airport, the nose gear collapsed. The airplane slid for dozen yards before coming to rest. All eight occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

After a touch-and-go landing at Gatwick Airport, the right main gear didn't lock up. The gear was recycled and the pilot then checked the gear visually and the gear appeared to be fully retracted. On gear extension for the next landing, the right main gear warning light remained on. The gear was recycled several times, but without success. Other attempts (high g turns, using the hand pump, and touching the runway) also failed. It was then decided to make a wheels-up landing on a foam carpet at Manston.

The aircraft left Deauville at 1535 hrs., on flight No. C.6845, and made an uneventful flight to London at flight level 70. It was cleared to land on runway 28 Right and at 1624 hrs, reported passing the outer marker inbound. The approach proceeded normally and the aircraft came into the view of air traffic control personnel in the tower when it was about 200 feet, and close to the airport boundary. It was then in a normal approach attitude. However, at a position near the threshold of runway 28 Right the port wing was seen to drop and the aircraft turned slowly to the left off the runway centerline. The bank increased and the port wing tip, followed by the port main wheels, touched the grass surface of the aerodrome. Witnesses near to the runway threshold heard engine power applied as if for an overshoot and the aircraft then became airborne again and with the bank further increasing, it flew towards the partly constructed No.I terminal building on the northeast side of the airport central area. Whilst still steeply banked it struck two British European Airways Trident aircraft, which were parked at a pier of the terminal building, and burst into flames. The aircraft then rolled on to its back and after demolishing a twelve foot high metal blast barrier came to rest against the ground floor of the terminal building between two of the embarkation piers. 27 people on the ground in the area received slight injuries, 2 people were seriously injured. Six occupants were killed while two others were killed as well as all eight horses. The Trident registered G-ARPT was also destroyed while the Trident registered G-ARPI was repaired.

Following an uneventful charter flight from Luxembourg, the crew completed a landing by night on a wet runway. After touchdown, the airplane encountered difficulties to decelerate and overran. It lost its undercarriage and came to rest few dozen yards further. All 69 occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair. At the time of the accident, the horizontal visibility was estimated to 1,800 meters with clouds at 300 feet. It is believed the aircraft suffered aquaplaning after landing while the flaps were retracted in the takeoff position and the brakes were applied intermittently.

On final approach to Beauvais-Tillé Airport, the aircraft was too high on the glide after it broke out from the clouds. Rather than making a go around procedure, the crew continued the approach but landed too far down the runway 13. Unable to stop within the remaining distance of 3,500 feet, the airplane overran, lost its left main gear and nose gear and came to rest against a mount of earth. At the time of the accident, the runway surface was wet, which was considered as a contributing factor.

The aircraft had carried out a special flight on 3 February 1958, from England to Belgrade, making an intermediate landing at Munich-Riem Airport for refuelling purposes. On 6 February it flew back from Belgrade, bound for Manchester. As planned, it again made an intermediate landing at Munich to refuel, landing there at 1417LT. The aircraft made three attempts at take-off, two were abandoned, and the accident occurred during the third attempt. The copilot abandoned the first take-off because the boost pressure readings of both engines showed upward variations, rising 2 or 3 inches above the usual reading of 57.5 inches. The second attempt to take-off followed immediately after the aircraft had taxied back to the beginning of the runway. The engine run-up was not repeated. The captain abandoned the second take-off because the boost pressure reading (this time on the port engine only) again rose beyond the normal maximum value to 60 inches. In each case the take-off was abandoned approximately half way down the runway. After the second attempt the aircraft continued rolling as far as the end of the runway and from there proceeded to the terminal building. The passengers disembarked, and the BEA station engineer went aboard. He then pointed out to the two pilots that the variations in boost pressure were connected with the elevation of Munich Airport. After a short discussion, the pilots decided to make a third (attempt at) take-off, and the passengers were told to board the aircraft again. Before the fresh (attempt to) take- off, a further engine run-up was carried out. After take-off had begun, the boost pressure reading of the port engine again fluctuated somewhat, but this ceased after the captain had throttled back slightly for a short time. After he had opened up the throttle fully again, no further fluctuation were observed. The aircraft never became airborne in the course of the third attempt at take-off. It traveled on over the whole length of the runway and the adjoining grass-covered stopway (250 m). At the end of the stopway it crashed through a wooden fence which marked the aerodrome boundary, cleared a secondary road and struck a house standing on the other side of the road. The left wing was torn off outboard of the engine mounting. Parts of the tail unit were also torn off here. The house caught fire. The aircraft then crashed into a wooden hut standing on a concrete base about 100 m further on, striking it with the right side of the rear section of the fuselage. The fuselage was torn away on a level with the trailing edge of the wing. The hut and the part of the fuselage which was torn away caught fire. The remainder of the aircraft wreckage slid on for a further 70 m. Of the 44 occupants (6 crew and 38 passengers) on board, 21 were killed instantly. The others received injuries of a more or less serious nature. Two died later in hospital as a result of their injuries. The house which was struck by the aircraft was badly damaged by fire. The hut was destroyed by fire. Among those killed were eight players and the trainer. The president of the club and ten other players survived the accident.

About six minutes after takeoff from Düsseldorf-Lohausen Airport, while in initial climb, the crew reported engine problems and received the permission to return. At this time, it appears that the left engine went into reverse. After completing a circuit, the pilot continued the approach at low height and in poor weather conditions when high tension wires forced him to gain height. He increased power on the right engine but the aircraft stalled and hit the ground with its left wing that was severely bent and partially sheared off. Upon impact, the left engine was sheared off and the airplane came to rest in a muddy field located few km from the airport. All 53 occupants were evacuated and only the crew was slightly injured. The aircraft was written off.