Date & Time:
Mar 18, 1947
Type of aircraft:
Avro 685 York
Operator:
Registration:
MW198
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Negombo – Northolt
MSN:
MW198
YOM:
1945
Country:
Sri Lanka
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
16
Pax fatalities:
7
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb, the engine # 3 failed. The captain elected to fly over the sea to ditch the aircraft but the York stalled, hit palms and crashed 5 km from the airport. All four crew members and 7 passengers were killed, three passengers were injured while six others were unhurt. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the technical problem on engine # 3 was not determined. However, it is believed that the crew inadvertently shut down the engine # 4 instead of # 3, causing the heavy aircraft to lose height and crash.
