BA911 G-APFE Mt. Fuji crash
It is 50 years ago today that BOAC lost Boeing 707-436 G-APFE which broke up over Mt. Fuji with the loss of all on board. As a young boy, I recall reading about the accident in the papers at the time. The aircraft had just taken off from Tokyo Haneda bound for Hong Kong with 113 passengers and 11 crew. A day previously a CP Air DC-8 had crashed on landing at Haneda with the loss of 64 passengers and crew. I was near Mt. Fuji last month and paused to remember those lost that on that sad day half a century ago. Mountain wave turbulence was identified as the cause with the airframe breaking up in mid air. Fortunately, air travel safety has improved by a significant factor since those days. Something we should all be grateful for as we remember the passengers, crew and their families and friends affected by this accident.