BA911 G-APFE Mt. Fuji crash

[GAXLN]

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.

[The SSK]

I recall seeing a photo of G-APFE taxiing out at Tokyo past the remains of the CP DC8, it is one of the most poignant aviation images. I can't help but think what was in the minds of the 707's passengers as they looked out and saw the debris.

[ExSp33db1rd]

I was one of the two F/O's waiting at Kai Tak to take over, when we got to the airport we were told that it was "overdue"at the reporting point ( "waypoints" hadn't been invented ) VOR on the South coast of Japan. (name ? Kagoshima ?)

Both the F/O's killed were colleagues of mine, we started with BOAC on parallel intakes. One was a family friend and neighbour at home.

There were two Capt Dobsons on the then Hong Kong crew posting. The Company rang the wrong one.

It was common practice for crews flying that service to file VFR to the south of Japan then re-file IFR to HKG, and deliberately fly over Fuji to give the passengers a view of the mountain whilst still climbing out of Tokyo, dropping a wing to see down the crater. "no-one" admitted it" but everyone" - well, maybe not everyone - did it. ( or so I was told after the event )

That practice stopped, as did the practice of filing VFR flight plans, after that accident.

There was also some story of 2 Japanese Air Force high performance jet fighters getting into trouble at the same time, the turbulence on the lee side of the mountain put them into trouble with massive "G" forces being experienced.

It seems that the 707 broke up in midair, the crew drowning in fuel.

There was also a discrepancy in the number of male "body parts" and female "body parts" in comparison to the number of males and females recorded on the load sheet for weight and balance calculations. It later transpired that a troupe of Transvestites had been travelling on that flight.

Truth is Stranger than Fiction.

Don't pick me up on petty detail, it is 50 years ago and I'm sure it is all written down somewhere.

[Haraka]

Some cine film taken from the ground was made public . IIRC showing the main structure spiralling down, minus most of one wing. As stated above, the aircraft had apparently been flown over Mt. Fuji to give the passengers a good view.

[Cows getting bigger]

There's a short sequence at the attached from 17:40 onwards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KaVe624V3U

[Discorde]

There's a photo of 'FE in happier times in this article celebrating the 50th anniversary of the B707:

The 707 is fifty

[eckhard]

And here is a sad picture of her last moments.......

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

What was the cause of the DC8 crash?

[seafire6b]

What was the cause of the DC8 crash?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadi...nes_Flight_402

ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-8-43 CF-CPK Tokyo-Haneda Airport (HND)

Because of poor weather conditions, the aircraft was about to divert to Taipei when advised that visibility at HND had improved, above minimums.


In turn that reminds me of the Vanguard accident at LHR six months earlier. After two discontinued approaches in fog, the flight was actually in the process diverting to MAN, when the Captain heard that another BEA Vanguard had landed at LHR.
Hence G-APEE's third and fateful attempt.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Thanks for that.

[ZeBedie]

Drowning in fuel whilst still airborne - now that's a risk I didn't foresee. Not a nice way to go.

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

betteronacamel.com

Google: 'Better On A Camel' then scroll down to 'Japan-The Mount Fuji Disaster, by James Wilson (1966).'

[aterpster]

Originally Posted by GAXLN

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.

Re: the 707 breakup. Given the same circumstances you don't think today's airliners wouldn't break up?

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Originally Posted by ZeBedie

Drowning in fuel whilst still airborne - now that's a risk I didn't foresee. Not a nice way to go.

How could that happen?

[D120A]

SSD,

ISTR the aircraft suffered a vertical gust which induced a 'g' load far in excess of the design load for the wing. Hence the outer wing failure, and also the departure of all 4 engines from their pylons - they carried on under power from the fuel they carried and were found some distance ahead of the main wreckage.

The vertical (strictly, 'normal') gust load induced a corresponding design-exceeding deceleration due to the associated induced drag, and this was enough for the fuel in the centre section tank to slosh forward, break the front of the tank, and carry on until it reached the forward pressure bulkhead, just ahead of the flight deck. Thus the flight deck filled with fuel. The wing fuel behaved similarly, which explains the 'white mist' emanating from the whole span in the published pictures.

One hopes the sudden loads and accelerations experienced by all on board were enough to ensure that no one was conscious and aware of any of these elements of the mid-air break-up. Even 50 years on, these are sad to report.

R.I.P.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Thanks D120A, for your clear explanation. Very sad event indeed.

[suninmyeyes]

All BOAC 707 pilots who retired were given a photo of that particular aircraft in flight with other pilots signatures underneath it. Not the happiest photo for a retirement present! BOAC got another aircraft to replace FE registration G-AWHU known to pilots as "The Saturn". It was very different to the other 707s and the other 707 pilots were not allowed to fly it, one of the differences was the switches went up for on and down for off unlike the other 707s or vice versa. So they just trained 9 crews to fly it and they flew nothing else for a while until it was converted.

[GAXLN]

Originally Posted by aterpster

Re: the 707 breakup. Given the same circumstances you don't think today's airliners wouldn't break up?

No, but I believe pilots are more alert to the risks so that has helped contribute to a reduction in risk and therefore an increase in safety. If you compare the accident statistics from the 1960's with those of today, given the increase in air movements, the increase in overall safety has been huge. I was at a conference last year where someone claimed that if the accident rates of the early 1960's applied today there would be a major crash somewhere in the world virtually every other day. Makes you think doesn't it?

In my original posting, I omitted to mention that I understand that Capt. Dobson was a Lancaster pilot with 617 squadron having joined them after the famous Dambusters raid.

ExSp33db1rd and others - thanks for the interesting comments and background you have provided.

[aterpster]

Originally Posted by GAXLN

I was at a conference last year where someone claimed that if the accident rates of the early 1960's applied today there would be a major crash somewhere in the world virtually every other day. Makes you think doesn't it?

Not on point. What has transpired in the past 50 years to prevent a "Mt. Fuji tour?"

I was mistaken, though, that you were attributing this horrible accident to the design of an airplane I loved flying; the 707.

[aterpster]

Originally Posted by suninmyeyes

All BOAC 707 pilots who retired were given a photo of that particular aircraft in flight with other pilots signatures underneath it. Not the happiest photo for a retirement present! BOAC got another aircraft to replace FE registration G-AWHU known to pilots as "The Saturn". It was very different to the other 707s and the other 707 pilots were not allowed to fly it, one of the differences was the switches went up for on and down for off unlike the other 707s or vice versa. So they just trained 9 crews to fly it and they flew nothing else for a while until it was converted.

Perhaps that was a TWA 707-300 diverted to BOAC. TWA "customized" their orders to have the switches go the wrong way. This came to an end with the L1011 and 767, which had push switches.