British European Airways Flight 226

British European Airways

Industry	Airline
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Air transport services

Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence British European Airways Flight 226 was a scheduled international service operated on behalf of Cyprus Airways by British European Airways. The route connected London to Tel Aviv with multiple intermediate stops including Rome, Athens, Istanbul, Ankara, and finally Nicosia. On 21 December 1961, the flight suffered a catastrophic accident when the crew lost control of the De Havilland DH-106 Comet 4B shortly after departing from Ankara Esenboğa Airport. The crash resulted in 27 fatalities among the 34 people on board, while seven individuals survived.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in this incident was a de Havilland DH-106 Comet 4B, which completed its maiden flight on 8 June 1961. It was officially handed over to British European Airways on 26 June 1961 and registered as G-ARJM. This long-range jet airliner featured four Rolls-Royce Avon 503 engines, providing the necessary thrust for extended flights.

Crew and passengers

The flight segment from Ankara to Nicosia carried twenty-seven passengers. This service was conducted by British European Airways on behalf of Cyprus Airways. The aircraft was staffed by a crew of seven, which included a captain and two first officers from British European Airways, alongside four flight attendants representing Cyprus Airways. The captain possessed a total flight experience of 13,240 hours, with 785 of those hours specifically logged on the de Havilland Comet.

Accident

The journey proceeded without incident until the aircraft departed from Ankara Airport. The interval between landing and the subsequent takeoff for Nicosia was 46 minutes. After taxiing to the threshold of runway 21, the takeoff commenced and proceeded normally concerning speed and duration up to the rotation point. Within one to two seconds after liftoff, the aircraft adopted an abnormally steep climb angle. Witnesses reported this angle as approximately double the standard climb rate, with some estimating it between 45 and 50 degrees. Observers also noted a change in engine sound coupled with a tilt of one wing. At around 450 feet altitude, the plane stalled while its left wing dipped downward. The aircraft then descended abruptly and crashed onto the ground 1,600 meters from the control tower, aligned on a heading of 214 degrees at 11:43 p.m. local time. The crash resulted in the deaths of all seven crew members and twenty passengers out of twenty-seven.

Cause

The accident investigation concluded that the most likely cause was a malfunction or disruption in the captain’s artificial horizon, which led him to mistakenly believe the aircraft was not climbing. This misperception induced panic, prompting the captain to sharply pitch the nose upward shortly after takeoff. This abrupt maneuver caused an immediate aerodynamic stall, culminating in the crash.

See also

• Air India Flight 855, an incident involving loss of control soon after takeoff due to spatial disorientation.
• Air France Flight 447, an event where a pilot’s continued nose-up input led to a stall.