BOAC 707 crash LHR April 1968

[David H]

Just to thank those of you who responded so helpfully to my earlier post. This is a new post, as for some reason the software doesn't seem to allow me to make replies to existing ones.

By the way, I am still pretty sure it was a 707-465, not a -436, as this one was part of a small order originally for Cunard Eagle, later taken over by BOAC. Not important really, but...

[straight feed]

I think you're right. The series G-APFA or B onwards were -436.The "odd" registrations in the 400 series 707 were G-ARWD and E and G-ARRA,B,C. I remember we did get some ex Cunard Eagle 400 series. Flew them all except "FA" and "WE"!!
SF

[Jim lovell]

It was a 707-465. According to the report the fire was aggrevated by the captain selecting reverse thrust on engines 1 and 4-which deflected much of the flames back onto the a/c.

[Honest Frank]

You've surely looked at airdisaster.com

A real good web site, with loads of details.

[Bellerophon]

David H

My apologies! I've traced the hull number (18373), and you were indeed correct, it was a B707-465, delivered to BOAC on 07 July 1962, and written off 08 April 1968.

Just out of interest, when I checked, the Boeing web site does not show Cunard Eagle as ever having ordered any B707/720 aircraft.

Could it have been a British Eagle order, and does any PPRuNer happen to know which airline had the customer number "65"?

[slj]

David H

The findings of the report (Civil Accident Report No BW/C/0203 published by the UK Board of Trade April 1969 SBN 11 510254 X) ) into this accident states :

(iv) No 2 engine fifth stage low pressure compressor wheel failed due to fatigue. Reason for failure not established
(v) Failure of the number 2 engine compressor wheel caused damage to the starboard side of the engine and to its cowling. This resulted in a fuel leak from the engine fuel supply line and a fire
(vii) First officer’s cancellation of the fire bell instead of the undercarriage warning horn prevented the fire bell from ringing
(viii) The closure of the fuel shut off valve by pulling the fire handle was inadvertently omitted by the Flight Engineer when he carried out the fire drill. The omission was not noticed by the Captain, First officer or Check captain.
(ix) The failure to close the fuel shut off valve permitted the fire to continue

I have missed out the uninteresting factual stuff like the aircarft documentation was correct.

The report eas also critical of the fire service

Hope this helps

Stephen John

[DeltaTango]

slj:
(iv) No 2 engine fifth stage low pressure compressor wheel failed due to fatigue.
Reason for failure not established


So was the reason established or not?!?!!?

DT
ps-I'm not trying to be a smart a**...

[gas path]

http://www.airsafetyonline.com/images/galleries/boac712/1.jpg
I was on the bus home from school, leaning out the back of a double decker!! watching it fly overhead. The engine ended up in a reservior. If my memory serves me right the engine was stored on the top floor at Cranebank for many years.

[This message has been edited by gas path (edited 17 March 2001).]

[EGAC]

Bellerophon

According to my reference sources Cunard Eagle was a merger between British Eagle and Cunard Steamship Co. to offer a transatlantic alternative to BOAC. It ordered two 707s after obtaining London-New York rights in 1961 and Boeing allocated the firm -65 as its customer number.

BOAC appealed the rights decision, getting them revoked and the two 707-465s were registered in Bermuda in order to operate Bermuda-New York charters as well as London to Bermuda with extension to Jamaica. In 1962 Cunard withdrew from this arrangement and formed BOAC Cunard, the second aircraft being delivered to this group.

The airframes were G-ARWD/VR-BBW c/n 18372 and G-ARWE/VR-BBZ c/n 18373. Boeing never used -65 for any other customer so I think they are technically incorrect in denying Cunard Eagle's order.

Credit for most of the above to Tony Pither, author of the excellent "Boeing 707, 720 and C-135".

[airsmiles]

My source says :

18372 del. 27.2.1962 to Cunard Eagle as VR-BBW, changing to BOAC/Cunard on 28.9.1962 as G-ARWD.

18373 del. 7.7.1962 to BOAC/Cunard as G-ARWE.

straight feed :
There was no 'FA', the first conway powered B707 being 'FB', so you only missed one of them. ('FA' was a D54 Turbi whatever that is - I'm hopeless on tiddlers)


[This message has been edited by airsmiles (edited 17 March 2001).]

[Bellerophon]

EGAC & airsmiles

Thank you for your explanations. I suspect that a bit of “updating” of the Boeing website may have taken place with regard to some airline name changes, but not others, as it refers, for instance, to BA not BOAC.

I believe that the aircraft shown on the site as ordered by British Eagle was the aircraft in question, and came into BOAC, from Cunard Eagle, as you and other PPRuNers have kindly pointed out.

I certainly remember flying in BOAC 707’s, in the early sixties on Eastern routes, with "BOAC Cunard" painted on the aircraft – didn’t last too long as I recall!

[slj]

Delta Tango

The findings of the report (Civil Accident Report No BW/C/0203 published by the UK Board of Trade April 1969 SBN 11 510254 X) ) into this accident states :

(iv) No 2 engine fifth stage low pressure compressor wheel failed due to fatigue. The reason for this has not been established.

Exact wording from page 24 of published report. Page 19 of the text states that the
primary cause of the fatigue is not known (1969) but research was continuing.

Seems fairly clear that the reason was not established at the time of the report.

[David H]

EGAC

Thank you for your explanations about Cunard Eagle. That filled in a gap for me. I believe that later in the 1960s the airline that became British Eagle ordered one, maybe two, 707-320Cs, and for these Boeing revived the 65 customer number. These aircraft, I think, were not delivered because of British Eagle's bankruptch in November 1968. The airline at that time was, however, operating ex-Qantas 707-138Bs, however.

Again, my thanks to everyone else for the information. Did the 707 do a complete circuit and land in the same direction as the take-off, or did it, as I have a feeling was the case, it come round to 05 or 23...?

[slj]

05 Right

Edited to confirm report did state 05 Right

[This message has been edited by slj (edited 18 March 2001).]

[747FOCAL]

Model: 707 -465 Original Owner: BAB
Delivered-to Operator: BAB
MFG. Serial No.: 18372 SPARE PARTS TIME AVIAT


This is the one you are looking for:

Model: 707 -465 Current Operator: BAB Operator Name: BRITISH AIRWAYS
MFG. Serial No.: 18373 CRASHED 4/8/68 LONDON

[This message has been edited by 747FOCAL (edited 20 March 2001).]

[Smurfjet]

You might want to check here (http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?id=151173,151174,151175,151176,151177,151178,15 1179) for post crash pics.