London

The airplane departed London on a flight to Kuwait City with an intermediate stop in Athens. While cruising vertical to Montélimar, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity and turbulences. Control was lost and the airplane entered a dive before crashing on a hill located near Saint-Vincent-de-Barrès, about 12 km northwest of Montélimar. Debris were found on a wide area and all eight occupants were killed.

The airplane departed London on an executive flight to Forli, carrying two pilots and one passenger, Mr. Serafino Ferruzzi, founder and owner of the Italian Group Ferruzzi S.p.A. The approach to Forli Airport was initiated by night and poor weather conditions. On short final, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the left wing struck a tv antenna located on the top of a hill, some 2,300 meters short of runway 12 threshold. The airplane lost height and crashed on a house. All three people on board the aircraft as well as two people in the house were killed. At the time of the accident, the horizontal visibility was limited to 300 metres due to heavy rain falls and the runway 12 ILS glideslope was inoperative.
Crew:
Enzo Villani, pilot,
Roberto Cases, copilot.
Passenger:
Serafino Ferruzzi.
Those killed on ground were Fiorella Ricci et Libero Ricci.

The twin engine airplane was completing an on-demand taxi flight from Shannon to Geneva with an intermediate stop in London, carrying four employees of the Digital Company and one pilot. The takeoff roll was initiated from runway 06 at Shannon Airport in poor weather conditions with a limited visibility due to fog. After liftoff, the airplane failed to maintain a positive vario and failed to gain sufficient height. At a speed of 160 knots, it nosed down to an angle of 5° and struck the runway surface about 1,600 metres from the runway threshold (point of departure). It bounced then struck successively a fence and a stone wall before crashing in flames in a prairie. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all five occupants have been killed.

The crew was taking part to an international rallye between UK and Sydney, in Australia. The aircraft departed London on 19 of December and the contact was already lost with ATC when the aircraft was flying over the Alps. As the airplane failed to arrive at the next stopover, SAR operations were initiated but eventually suspended few weeks later as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. On 5 August 1970, walkers found the wreckage on the slope of a mountain located near the Rocher de la Plassa, about 6 km southeast of Courchevel. Both occupants have been killed.

A failure of the electrical system in flight forced the pilot to reduce his altitude and to attempt an emergency landing. While cruising in the vicinity of Corinth, the pilot attempt to land in an open field when the airplane struck trees and crashed in flames. The pilot and a passenger were killed while two other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

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 departed London Airport at 1516LT hours GMT on a flight to Belfast in pursuance of a special charter, carrying 5 crew and 2 company employees. At 1645 the aircraft was taken over by the Precision Approach Controller for a GCA talkdown on runway 28 (276°) in weather conditions which the captain thought would allow him to become visual at or above his critical height of 500 ft. Soon after '3/4 of a mile from touchdown' the aircraft was to the right of the centerline and shortly afterwards was 'well right of centerline', Just after '1/2 a mile from touchdown' the Precision Approach Controller said 'if you're overshooting turn left left 5° on overshoot over' to which the reply came '...overshooting'. At about this time a number of witnesses heard the aircraft "rev-up". Shortly thereafter (at 1651 hours) the aircraft crashed within the boundary of the airport approximately 1,000 ft to the south of the western end of runway 28, killing all occupants.

The approach to Karachi International Airport was attempted in poor weather conditions and a limited visibility due to heavy rain falls. On final, the left windshield wiper failed and the crew did not realized he was approaching Faisal AFB runway 08 instead of Karachi-Intl Airpor runway 07, when the airplane struck the ground and crashed short of runway threshold at Faisal Airbase (Drigh Road). All 72 occupants were evacuated safely while the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

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.

The flight from London to Prestwick was uneventful. Throughout the flight the captain kept in touch with the weather conditions and Prestwick Approach Control received the aircraft about 0248 hours. Preceding the aircraft by approximately four minutes in arrival at Prestwick was a Constellation, and these two aircraft were fed into the stack at Prestwick; the Constellation at 4 000 feet and the Stratocruiser at 5 000 feet. The runway to be used was Runway 31 which required the approach to be made from the southeast. The Instrument Landing System (hereinafter called ILS) without the Glide Path and the Ground Control Approach system (hereinafter called GCA) were available on Runway 31. G. C.A. took over the Stratocruiser about 0314 hours and at 0323 hours the talk-down controller 'took over the aircraft. Meantime Meteorological Reports had been passing from ground to air. The talk-down was completed at 0325 hours when the aircraft was 400 yards from the threshold of Runway 31. The approach up to this point had been high but uneventful. A few seconds later the aircraft struck the ground 127 feet short of the threshold of Runway 31, sustaining some damage. It then ran on to the runway and proceeded for some 90 feet where it was again airborne for another 400 feet. It then contacted the runway and sustained considerable damage, and came to rest with the passenger compartment in an inverted position on the south side of the runway about 550 yards from the threshold. Except for the front portion of the fuselage which lay on its port side, severe damage resulted from fire which broke out and spread rapidly, due probably to the partial detachment of the port wing and rupture of the fuel tanks. From the accident there survived seven of the crew and one passenger.