G-ANTB Destroyed at Jersey

[llanfairpg]

Does anyone have any info on the G-ANTB accident at Jersey, in 1962 I think.
I believe it was on its third attempt to get in when it struck the approache lights. Only the flight attendant survived. I belive it was this incident that brought about regulations in the number of attempts a public transport aircraft could make without a significant weather improvement.

I also understand that either the captain's or first officer's wife was expecting a baby and he was anxious not to night stop/divert.

[forget]

http://aviation-safety.net/database/...0414-0&lang=en

[Flightwatch]

G-ANTB

14th April 1965 is a date forever etched in my memory. I was working as a traffic agent with BUA(C.I.)A awaiting my course start date for flying training at Oxford. It was late evening and I was the only person on duty together with a supervisor awaiting the arrival of an extra flight from ORY, everything was delayed after a couple of days of Jersey fog and this was he last arrival of the day.

Just after the expected ETA the immigration officer on duty came into the office and told us that the Dak had crashed on the approach and that the AFS reported a fierce fire at the scene and it didn't look good for the occupants.

As a (so called) french speaker I was given the harrowing task of telling the few meeters and greeters of the situation whch of course was not pleasant, especially for an 18 year old. Fortunately the States police turned up quite quickly and relieved me of my duties.

As far as the accident is concerned then I know little more than the above link reports, I do remember though that the crew had been on an unscheduled night-stop the night before in GCI due to the fog. They had transited Jersey earlier that day and I had boarded the pax and given them the ships papers and was therefore the last person to see them alive on the island. We heard or saw nothing of the impact due to the very low visibility at the time.

As an interesting aside it was always said that if he top of the church spire in St. Peters was invisible then the airfield was below limits. this didn't apply on that day as the church was on the other side of the runway and far out of sight.

The stewardess was a French girl and if I remember correctly later became a news reader on Channel TV, or something similar.

[llanfairpg]

Thank you for that and sorry to re awaken some sad memories FW.

I worked at Jersey with an engineer who was one of the first on the scene but it was just a burning inferno.

Its one of those accidents, I believe, that has kept me safe because I have always thought about the consequences of trying to get in rather than going around while thinking of this accident

I had forgotten it was 1965 and it was then British United

[Flap40]

My mother was working for them at the time in Guernsey. I've got a vague recollection of the captains name being "Self" which would make for some interesting logbook entries.

There were two books written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Jersey airport in 1987. One was "Announcing the Arrival" by Alistair Layzell and the other was (I think) published by the Jersey Evening Post (local paper). At least one, if not both featured the accident in reasonable detail. I no longer have my copies of either but maybe someone else on here has them?

[GBALU53]

Pole 13 And Fog

The Aircraft Hit Pole Number 13 Of Runway 27 Approach Lights In Thick Fog.

[llanfairpg]

Yes I had heard that story but it would have to be a pretty narrow aircraft to only hit one post!

[Flap40]

It hit one pole with one undercarriage leg. Pole 13 was on one of the crossbars next to the central pole. I was told years ago (no idea how true) that this is why the crossbars of approach lighting now miss out the pole each side of the centre.

[Likeslynx]

The Captain's name was Peter Self, an ex-RAF pilot who flew Vampires (I think) in the Suez crisis. Visit: Jersey Airlines for some photos from that era. I do know a little more should you wish to contact me direct.

[Warmtoast]

As reported at the time;

[GBALU53]

Out of interest after over two years since the last post why has this come back to the surface?

[merlinxx]

Anniversary only 14 days away perhaps ? I was in Ops LGW that day.
The JER folks were close to us at LGW, sad evening in the LGW Aeroclub

[macca64]

I have original photographs of this accident 17 in total I think, if anyone is desperate to have copies I might be able to get them put on a disc.

[chudleighpaul]

g-antb

The captain Peter Self was a personal friend, he was of enormous help to me when I was learning to fly.
I worked for the airline in question and I know the pressure that was placed on crews not to divert in order to save money on passengers hotel bills. Next year is the 50 anniversary of the disaster, and I shall be thinking of a wonderful friend on that day.

[thegypsy]

A friend of mine was the F/O, one Howard Greenway. I lived in Shenington and his father was a farmer at Sugarswell Farm by the airfield and both were qualified gliding Instructors and when I joined the Coventry Gliding Club we had an annual camp there in 1961 and looking at my logbook for August I flew with both son and father on separate occasions.

During that camp went up in a Tiger Moth that was looped and I remember wishing I had tightened the straps a bit more as I was dangling upside down.

[chudleighpaul]

50 th anniversary

The Jersey press ran a long article about the disaster, they stuck to the facts without trying to pile too much blame on the pilot.

[bean]

If they had never set off from Paris in the first place they wouldn't have needed to divert. the viz was only 60 metres with 8 octas on the surface.
Nothing else was flying that night and the captain was crimanally negligent

[thegypsy]

I have to agree with Bean there.

[lotus1]

I believe a relation of mine who at the time was in lodgings in Jersey was staying with a ambulance driver asked could he attend with him to the crash site due to help he said it was utter carnage