Bristol Britannia

Redcoat Air Cargo

The four engine airplane departed Boston-Logan Airport runway 33L at 1408LT on a cargo flight to Luton via Shannon, carrying eight occupants and a load of computers. Initial climb was completed in poor weather conditions with a visibility reduced to 800 meters due to snow showers, fog and also severe icing conditions. At an altitude of 1,700 feet, the airplane started an uncontrolled descent then contacted trees and crashed in a wooded area located in Billerica, about 17 miles northwest of Boston-Logan Airport. A crew member was seriously injured while seven other occupants were killed.

Interconair - Irish Intercon Cattle Meats

On final approach to Shannon Airport runway 24, at an altitude of 300 feet, the crew encountered severe vibrations. The captain decided to initiate a go-around but the aircraft continued to descent until it struck the ground short of runway threshold. Upon impact, the right wing and the undercarriage were torn off and the aircraft came to rest in flames in a pasture. All six occupants escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Aerotransportes Entre Rios

The approach to Buenos Aires-Ezeiza-Ministro Pistarini Airport was completed in a near zero visibility due to thick fog. On short final, the pilot-in-command failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck an ILS antenna located short of runway 04 threshold. After the impact, the airplane nosed down, struck the ground and slid for about 600 meters before coming to rest. All 12 occupants were injured and the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

Royal Air Force - RAF

After touchdown at Aden-Khormaksar Airport, the four engine airplane encountered difficulties to stop within the remaining distance and overran. It lost its undercarriage and came to rest in shallow water. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

Globe Air

The aircraft was on a non-scheduled flight from Bangkok to Base1 with scheduled stops at Colombo, Bombay and Cairo. The aircraft departed Bombay for Cairo on 19 April at 1312 hours GMT, with 11 hours and 10 minutes of fuel endurance and an estimated flight time for Cairo of 9 hours. According to the flight plan time, it was due to arrive in Cairo at 2212 hours. The alternate airport for the above sector was given as Beirut. At 2215 hours the aircraft was heard calling Nicosia but, due to distance and height, two-way communication with Nicosia on VHF could not be established until 2234 hours. In the meantime a message was received from Beirut advising Nicosia that the aircraft had entered the Nicosia FIR and had reported over position Red 18A at 2229 hours. From the Area Control radiotelephony tape recording, it is evident that the actual weather conditions at Nicosia at 2145 hours and 2245 h~.:rs were passed to the aircraft at 2238 hours and 2254 hours respectively. Details of the latter actual weather were passed again to the aircraft at 2300 hours by Approach Control. The aircraft came over the field at 2306 hours and was cleared for a right- hand circuit. At 2310 hours, when over the threshold of runway 32, the aircraft was slightly high and the captain decided to overshoot. He informed the tower and was cleared for a left-hand circuit. He further informed the tower that he would carry out a low circuit. The aircraft was momentarily seen by the controller during its final approach and the glare of its landing lights was visible through the low cloud when it made a pass over the runway in use and disappeared from view over the upwind end of the runway in the low cloud to the north-west. On his second attempt to land and while executing a low circuit, the aircraft collided with the ground at 0113LT, 3,5 km short of runway threshold. A crew member and three passengers were seriously injured while 126 other occupants were killed. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire.

British Eagle International Airlines - BEIA

Shortly after takeoff from London-Heathrow Airport, while climbing, the undercarriage wouldn't lock up after takeoff, so the crew recycled the gear a couple of times. On the third attempt, the bogie (which was not rotating in the right sequence) fouled the main hydraulic jack fracturing the attachment bolt of the shuttle valve for the main and emergency 'down' hydraulic lines. All hydraulic fluid escaped and the gear couldn't be extended anymore. In agreement with ATC, the captain decided to divert to Manston-Kent Airport where an emergency landing was carried out on a foamed runway. The airplane completed a belly landing and was damaged beyond repair while all 65 occupants escaped uninjured.

Aeronaves de Mexico

Following an uneventful flight from Mexico City, the crew started the descent to Tijuana-Rodriguez Airport when he encountered technical difficulties with one main gear that was not locked down. The captain decided to follow a holding pattern over Tijuana but few minutes later, he was forced to land due to fuel shortage. Upon touchdown, one of the main gear collapsed. The airplane slid for several dozen yards before coming to rest. While all 82 occupants were evacuated safely, the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.

British Eagle Airways - BEA

British Eagle Flight 802 departed London-Heathrow Airport at 12:04 GMT with destination Innsbruck, Austria. At 13:35 the flight contacted Munich ATC and reported over the Kempten NDB nine minutes later, changing its IFR flight plan to VFR from Kempten to Innsbruck. Two minutes later the crew contacted Innsbruck and reported descending VMC directly to Seefeld. Over the Innsbruck VOR at FL110, the airplane was still unable to break the clouds. The last message from the flight was at 14:12 when it reported at FL100. The descent was continued until the airplane collided with the steep eastern flank of the Glungezer Mountain at an altitude of 2601 m (8500 ft). An avalanche occurred, carrying most of the aircraft debris downhill for about 400 m. All 83 occupants were killed.

Canadian Pacific Airlines - CP Air

The aircraft had arrived in Honolulu at 0507 hours Hawaiian standard time on 21 July as CPA Flight 323 from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was departing, the evening of 22 July, as Empress Flight 301 on a scheduled international flight for Nadi (Fiji Islands), Auckland (New Zealand) and Sydney (Australia). The night takeoff was commenced at 22:38 hours local time and approximately two minutes after becoming airborne and during the climbout a fire warning indication for No 1 engine was received in the cockpit. The No. 1 propeller was feathered and the tower controller was advised that the aircraft was returning to Honolulu. As an over-gross landing weight condition existed, fuel jettisoning in the amount of 35000 lb was carried out The jettisoning operation was completed at 23:06 hours following which the flight was vectored west of the outer marker to Intercept the ILS final approach course for runway 08. The three-engine landing approach appeared normal until the aircraft had proceeded beyond the runway threshold and had commenced its landing flare at an altitude of approximately 20 feet above the runway centreline. A go-around was attempted from this position, and the aircraft banked and veered sharply to the left. Initial ground contact was made by the left wing tip approximately 550 feet to the left of the runway centreline and approximately 700 feet beyond the threshold of the runway. The aircraft progressively disintegrated as it moved across the ground, then struck heavy earth-moving equipment parked approximately 970 feet from the runway centreline.

British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC

En route from Cairo to Khartoum at an altitude of 20,500 feet, a loss of hydraulic pressure occurred. The crew continued the flight and started the descent to Khartoum. While completing the approach checklist, the crew was unable to lower the landing gear, even with the emergency systems. The captain decided to complete a belly landing on the sandy area alongside the runway. The airplane slid for hundreds yards before coming to rest. All 27 occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC

The airplane departed London-Heathrow Airport at 1010LT on a test flight regarding the renewal of its Certificate of Airworthiness. After performing the necessary test, the crew requested a descent from 12,000 feet to 3,000 feet. Three minutes after starting the descent, while cruising in a visibility reduced by fog, the aircraft struck the ground and crashed in a field located in Winkton, southeast of Bournemouth-Hurn Airport. Seven occupants were killed while three others were seriously injured. The aircraft disintegrated on impact.

Bristol Aeroplane Company

The Bristol 175 had just completed a test flight of 1 and 40 minutes. Tests included a strain-gauge measurements on the non-standard propeller of the no. 2 engine, and high speed upset manoeuvre recovery tests in connection with the US certification. Returning to Filton, the aircraft entered a circuit and partial gear extensions occurred for unknown reasons. Attempts may have been made to complete undercarriage free fall tests as these had failed the previous day; such test were not on the programme however. At 1500 feet a left turn to base leg was initiated. The right wing suddenly dropped and the aircraft went into a very steeply banked right hand turn. The Britannia briefly recovered but banked steeply again and struck the ground in a wood near a residential area.

Bristol Aeroplane Company

The crew (Bristol pilots and engineers and KLM pilots) was performing a test flight out from Bristol-Filton Airport. About seven minutes after takeoff, the engine number three temperature rose. The engine was shut down and later restarted as the temperature cooled. While climbing to an altitude of 10,000 feet, the temperature rose again and the engine exploded. The fire could not be extinguished and as a precaution, it was decided to shot down the engine number four and to return to Filton. On approach, both left engines stopped but were quickly restarted. In such conditions, the captain decided to attempt a belly landing in the Severn estuary, off Littleton-upon-Severn. All 13 occupants escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Source: http://www.bristol-britannia.com/p/history-of-romeo-x-ray.html