British South American Airways - BSAA

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

London – Horta – Hamilton – Kingston

MSN:

1253

YOM:

1945

Flight number:

BSS401

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The four engine aircraft christened 'Star Ariel' left Hamilton, Bermuda, at 0841LT bound for Kingston, Jamaica. About one hour into the flight, the crew informed ATC about his departure time and gave his ETA in Kingston at 1410LT. At this time, the aircraft was flying at an assigned altitude of 18,000 feet in good weather conditions. Another message was exchanged few minutes later. As the aircraft failed to arrive in Kingston, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended a week later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 20 occupants was found. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were good with no clouds above 10,000 feet, icing conditions at 14,000 feet and a 36 knots wind from the north with no turbulence.

Probable cause:

Through lack of evidence due to no wreckage having been found, the cause of the accident is unknown.

Crash of an Avro 685 York I in Caravelas: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 5, 1949

Type of aircraft:

Avro 685 York

Operator:

Registration:

G-AHEX

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

London – Lisbon – Bathurst – Natal – Rio de Janeiro – Santiago de Chile

MSN:

1301

YOM:

1946

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

During the takeoff roll at Rio de Janeiro, the tire on the right main gear burst. The crew continued the takeoff procedure and after departure, the copilot and the flight engineer proceeded to a visual control of the right main gear and did not notice anything unusual. After three hours and a half into the flight, the engine number three caught fire. The captain started an emergency descent and elected to land in Caravelas. On touchdown in a field, the aircraft went out of control and came to rest in flames. Three passengers were killed while 12 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Fire on board the aircraft while in flight. The secondary cause as the bursting of a tire of starboard wheel resulting in damage to the undercarriage and to the oil system installation, and which occurred when taking off. The tread of the burst tire tore off the hydraulic jack bracing struts, which were forced into the nacelle of the engine, causing damage to the oil system installation so that the oil emptied out, and resulting in possible further damage to the propeller feathering system. Owing to the lack of oil, caused by seepage, the connecting rods were torn out, contributing to an excessive increase in speed. In this way the uncontrolled propeller and the resulting overspeeding caused the engine to break apart, allowing the outbreak of fire, whose intensity was aggravated by the large quantity of oil round the nacelle of the n° 3 engine.

Crash of an Avro 689 Tudor I into the Atlantic Ocean: 31 killed

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1948 at 0317 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 689 Tudor

Operator:

Registration:

G-AHNP

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

London – Lisbon – Horta – Hamilton – Havana

MSN:

1349

YOM:

1946

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

575

Circumstances:

Christened 'Star Tiger', the four engine aircraft left Horta, in the Azores Islands, at 1534LT bound for Hamilton, Bermuda. At 0200LT, about 10,5 hours into the flight, the navigator Cyril Ellison fixed its position and learned that they too had been blown off course and were crabbing away from Bermuda. He informed the pilot McMillan about a new course which turned the aircraft directly into a gale. However, McMillan still expected to reach Bermuda with at least an hour's worth of fuel remaining upon landing. At 0304LT, the radio officer Robert Tuck requested a radio bearing from Bermuda, but the signal was not strong enough to obtain an accurate reading. He repeated the request eleven minutes later, and this time the Bermuda radio operator was able to obtain a bearing of 72 degrees, accurate to within 2 degrees. The Bermuda operator transmitted this information, and Tuck acknowledged receipt at 0317LT. This was the last radio contact with the aircraft and its crew. As the aircraft failed to arrive in Hamilton, SAR operations were conducted but were eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 31 occupants was found.

Probable cause:

In the complete absence of any reliable evidence as to either the nature or the cause of the disaster to 'Star Tiger' the Court has not been able to do more than suggest possibilities, none of which reaches the level even of probability. Into all activities which involve the cooperation of man and machine two elements enter of very diverse character. There is the incalculable element of the human equation dependent upon imperfectly known factors; and there is the mechanical element subject to quite different laws. A breakdown may occur in either separately or in both on conjunction. Or some external cause may overwhelm both man and machine. What happened in this case will never be known and the fate of 'Star Tiger' must forever remain an unsolved mystery.

Crash of an Avro 691 Lancastrian III in Hamilton

Date & Time: Nov 13, 1947

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

G-AGWG

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

London – Horta – Hamilton – Havana

MSN:

1279

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After takeoff from Hamilton bound for Havana, while climbing to a height of 9,000 feet, the engine number four caught fire. The crew elected to return to Hamilton-Kindley Field for an emergency landing. On final approach, the aircraft stalled and crashed few hundred yards short of runway threshold. All 16 occupants were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The exact cause of the failure on engine number four remains unknown. However, it was determined that on final approach, the aircraft stalled when the crew selected full flaps down. At that time, the crew was subject to a certain tension due to the emergency situation and their perception, reaction and judgement were reduced, maybe due to the high concentration of fuel vapor in the cockpit, which remains a contributory factor.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster B3 in Heathrow

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1947

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

G-AGUL

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

London-Heathrow - London-Heathrow

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a night training mission in London-Heathrow Airport. On touchdown, the aircraft went out of control, ground looped and came to rest. All four crew members were unhurt while the aircraft christened 'Star Watch' was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of an Avro 691 Lancastrian III in Hamilton

Date & Time: Sep 5, 1947

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

G-AGWK

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

London – Horta – Hamilton – Havana

MSN:

1283

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While approaching Bermuda on a flight from London to Havana, the crew was instructed by ATC to stack due to poor weather conditions (thunderstorm). After 90 minutes, the crew was cleared to land at Hamilton-Kindley Field and started the approach that was completed in marginal weather conditions and poor visibility. Too low, the four engine aircraft christened 'Star Trail' hit a radio mast, stalled and crashed few hundred yards short of runway. All 20 occupants were rescued while the aircraft was written off.

Crash of an Avro 691 Lancastrian III on Mt Tupungato: 11 killed

Date & Time: Aug 2, 1947 at 1441 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

G-AGWH

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

London – Lisbon – Banjul – Natal – Buenos Aires – Santiago de Chile

MSN:

1280

YOM:

1945

Flight number:

CS59

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

1971

Captain / Total hours on type:

473.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

2129

Copilot / Total hours on type:

127

Aircraft flight hours:

1655

Circumstances:

After passing over Mendoza, enroute to Santiago de Chile, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with strong winds (up to 180 km/h) and heavy snow falls. While cruising at an altitude of 15,000 feet, the four engine aircraft christened 'Star Dust' hit the slope of Mt Tupungaro located in the Argentinian Andes. As the airplane failed to arrive, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. About 53 years later, in 2000, an official mission conducted by Argentinian Army Officers and Scientists was organized to find the aircraft. Few debris and three bodies were found and repatriated down to the valley.

Probable cause:

In 1947, through lack of evidence due to no wreckage having been found, the cause of the accident remained obscure. The possibility of severe icing cannot be ignored. Later, in 2001, an investigation commission conducted by Argentinian and British experts concluded that the accident was probably caused by a premature descent on part of the crew due to strong head winds. The presence of strong winds at high altitude reduced the speed of the aircraft and the crew was not aware of these winds. Due to lack of visibility, the crew started the descent and was not able to distinguish the mountains.

Final Report:

Crash of an Avro 685 York in Dakar: 6 killed

Date & Time: Apr 13, 1947

Type of aircraft:

Avro 685 York

Operator:

Registration:

G-AHEZ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

London – Lisbon – Dakar – Natal – Rio de Janeiro

MSN:

1303

YOM:

1946

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On final approach to Dakar-Yoff Airport, the captain decided to go around due to low visibility causes by poor weather conditions. A second and a third attempt to land were aborted few minutes later. During the fourth attempt, while short of fuel, the aircraft landed hard and the undercarriage were sheared off. The aircraft slid on its belly for several yards and came to rest, broken in two. Six passengers were killed while nine other occupants were injured.

Probable cause:

Regarding the flight plan, there was too great errors in the ETA and the endurance was inexact. Lack of decision on the part of the pilot who, after his second attempt to land, and in view of his insufficient petrol reserve, should have carried out the diversionary plan.
The lighting of the runways was inadequate: there were no approach lights and there are no wireless facilities for landing in bad visibility at Dakar-Yoff Airport.
Contributory Causes:
Difficulties in exchange of radio telephony communications between the control tower and the aircraft,
Insufficient knowledge of the English language by the controllers in the tower, according to the Americans and British,
As regards to the crew, there certainly appears to have been a slight nervousness during the attempts to land,
The danger to passengers in the case of cabin fuselage below the wing in the event of a forced landing elsewhere than on a runway,
Lack of knowledge of the alternate airfield of Thies by BSAA crews. Thies was given on the old general aeronautical maps but at the time of the accident, no schedule for this aerodrome has yet been published by the Aeronautical Information Section. This schedule was available following the publication of the final investigation report.

Crash of an Avro 685 York I in Bathurst: 24 killed

Date & Time: Sep 7, 1946 at 0410 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 685 York

Operator:

Registration:

G-AHEW

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: