Stansted – Luqa – Habbaniya

On April 30, 1956 at 09:30 AM, Stansted – Luqa – Habbaniya experienced a crash involving Avro 685 York, operated by Scottish Airlines, with the event recorded near Stansted Essex.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

54 people were known to be on board, 2 fatalities were recorded, 52 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 3.7%.

Crew on board: 5, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 49, passenger fatalities: 2, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The flight was to be via Malta to Habbaniya, Iraq, and was being made on charter by the Air Ministry to carry RAF personnel and their families. On board were 5 crew members, 45 passengers and four babies. The take-off run was begun at approximately 0930 hours Greenwich Mean Time. After travelling some 300 yards along the temporary runway, the aircraft developed a swing to starboard with a consequential skidding movement of the tires so severe that within a further distance of less than 100 yards it left the runway on the starboard side still under the influence of the swing, skidding and travelling at about 45 knots. On reaching a 'French' drain some 25 feet from the runway the undercarriage collapsed, the starboard wheel fell clear and the aircraft settled on its belly and on the port wheel. The aircraft finally came to rest pointing back almost in the direction from which it had begun its run. One aircraftsman and a 4-year old girl were killed and 4 other passengers were seriously injured.

Aircraft reference details include registration G-AMUL, MSN MW308, year of manufacture 1946.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 51.8870°, 0.2442°.