Date & Time:
May 8, 1951 at 1412 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers Viking
Operator:
Registration:
G-AHPD
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Gibraltar – Bordeaux – Bovingdon
MSN:
134
YOM:
1946
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
26
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
At 1610LT, the aircraft took off for Bovingdon, UK, while on a regular schedule flight from Gibraltar. On throttling down to initial climbing speed, at a height of 50 meters the pilot noted that the speed of the port engine was rapidly decreasing. He shut off this engine and feathered the propeller, opening the starboard engine full out. He then became aware that the aircraft could not maintain its safety speed without losing height and decided to make a wheels up landing on an open space south of the aerodrome. The aircraft slid along the ground for about 100 meters, slewed around and came to a standstill. The copilot was injured, however, the remaining four crew members and twenty-six passengers were unharmed.
Probable cause:
The disconnecting of the articulated control rod of the propeller governor due to the lack of a split pin on the governor spindle and to the nut of the ball-joint of the control spindle having been unscrewed by force.
Final Report:
G-AHPD.pdf140.9 KB
