Jump to content

1956 London Heathrow Avro Vulcan crash

From Alfawiki
Avro
IndustryAerospace
Founded1910 in United Kingdom
ProductsMilitary aircraft, including Avro Vulcan bomber


Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence

The 1956 Avro Vulcan crash at London Heathrow was a military aviation mishap that took place on 1 October 1956 at Heathrow Airport. The Avro Vulcan B.1 XA897 crashed during its landing attempt amid adverse weather conditions. The captain and co-pilot successfully ejected; however, the remaining three crew members and one passenger lost their lives.

Background

The aircraft XA897 was the Royal Air Force’s inaugural Vulcan bomber delivery. After being stationed at RAF Waddington, it was loaned to Air Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst, Commander-in-Chief, and Squadron Leader Donald "Podge" Howard for a comprehensive 26,000 mi (42,000 km; 23,000 nmi) global demonstration tour highlighting the aircraft’s innovative design. From 9 September to 1 October 1956, XA897 visited destinations including Australia and New Zealand. Accompanying it were three Avro Shackleton aircraft carrying ground personnel and spare parts for maintenance support.

Departing from Australia, the Vulcan proceeded to RAF Khormaksar in the Aden Protectorate. It departed Aden at 02:50 GMT with an expected arrival at London Heathrow shortly after 10:00 local time.

Accident

Equipped with fuel tanks installed in the bomb bay to extend range from Aden, the Vulcan approached Heathrow amid heavy rainfall. Piloted by Howard alongside co-pilot Broadhurst, the aircraft carried three RAF crew members and an Avro technical advisor in the rear cabin.

Visibility was reduced to approximately 500 ft (150 m) due to intense rain, necessitating a ground controlled approach (GCA). Air traffic control at Heathrow advised that the aircraft was positioned above the designated glide slope (GS) and needed to descend. The crew decreased altitude excessively while maintaining airspeed near the minimum drag threshold for gear-down flight. Consequently, XA897 touched down approximately 1,030 yd (940 m) short of the runway threshold, causing the undercarriage to be sheared off upon initial ground contact.

Despite efforts by the pilot to regain control, he was unsuccessful and both he and the co-pilot ejected safely. Due to low altitude, escape was impossible for Squadron Leader Stroud (Howard’s usual co-pilot occupying the radar navigator’s position), Squadron Leaders Eames and Gamble, and Frederick Bassett, all of whom perished in the accident.

Cause

The inquiry panel assembled to investigate the accident concluded that the approach of XA897 was compromised by severely limited visibility caused by intense rainfall (noting that three Russian Tu-104 planes carrying the Bolshoi Ballet had already been rerouted from Heathrow to RAF Manston earlier that day). Additionally, the aircraft lacked the necessary equipment to utilize the instrument landing system (ILS) available at Heathrow. The landing approach on Runway 10L was conducted via a ground controlled approach (GCA), marking Howard's first experience with this method. Believing he was at approximately 150 ft (46 m), Howard attempted to abort the landing and increased engine power; however, the aircraft struck the ground, which resulted in the loss of its undercarriage and significant damage to the Vulcan’s control surfaces. The port wing was nearly vertical, and with no chance of regaining control, Howard and Broadhurst ejected safely. Unfortunately, due to the low altitude, Stroud, Eames, Gamble, and Bassett were unable to escape and perished.

Later claim of accident cause

In 2016, Maurice Hamlin, a former RAF serviceman present on the day of the crash, asserted in his book The Hidden Truth that Harry Broadhurst disregarded three explicit directives to divert from Heathrow owing to adverse weather conditions (highlighting that other flights had already been redirected). Hamlin suggests Broadhurst persisted with the landing attempt because of the presence of media personnel and VIPs awaiting at Heathrow. He also contends that a fifty-year D-Notice was imposed on the event, despite numerous Air Ministry and Board of Trade documents concerning the crash being accessible at the UK National Archives.

Timeline

  • 02:50 GMT – Departure of XA897 from Aden
  • 09:58 GMT – Weather update for London Heathrow provided to XA897: cloud cover at 2/8ths at 300 ft (91 m), 7/8ths at 700 ft (210 m), main cloud base at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), visibility approximately 1,100 yd (1,000 m), heavy rain with minimal wind.
  • (XA897 carried enough fuel for diversion to RAF Waddington if necessary, where forecast conditions were 1/8th cloud at 600 ft (180 m), 3/8ths at 8,000 ft (2,400 m), main base at 13,000 ft (4,000 m), and visibility of 3 nautical miles.)
  • 10:04 GMT – The Vulcan reached an altitude of 1,500 ft (460 m), five miles from Runway 10 Left touchdown point, initiating descent under GCA guidance with a QNH setting of 1017 millibars on both captain’s and co-pilot’s altimeters.
  • (During this approach, the captain initially climbed above the glide path by about 80 ft (24 m) before overcorrecting and descending roughly 100 ft (30 m) below what he believed was the correct glide slope.)
  • 10:05 GMT – At approximately 1,030 yd (940 m) from touchdown, XA897 made ground contact prematurely, resulting in damage to both main landing gear assemblies.

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom in the 1950s Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1956

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=1956_London_Heathrow_Avro_Vulcan_crash&oldid=77649"