British European Airways Flight 411 crashed on approach to Manchester Airport after a flight from Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

 Schiphol International Airport on the 14 March 1957 and hit a house in Wythenshawe. All onboard, 20 passengers and crew, died in the crash as did two people in the house. The aircraft involved was a Vickers Viscount

Vickers Viscount

The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...

 registration G-ALWE operated by British European Airways

British European Airways

British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...

. The cause of the crash was metal fatigue

Metal Fatigue

Metal Fatigue , is a futuristic science fiction, real-time strategy computer game developed by Zono Incorporated and published by Psygnosis and TalonSoft .-Plot:...

 in flaps causing loss of control.

Aircraft

G-ALWE, RMA Discovery, was the first Viscount 701 type to be manufactured by Vickers in 1952.

Final flight

Flight 411 took off from Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport. On board were 15 holiday makers and five crew members. 90 minutes after departure flight 411 was cleared for approach into Manchester Airport. In low cloud and following a ground controlled approach the flight crew lowered the landing gear and turned into their final approach under visual control. One mile short of the runway eyewitnesses saw the aircraft turn into a shallow right descending turn with a steep bank angle. The Viscount's right wing hit the ground and the rest of the plane broke up bursting into flames and crashing into a house 85 yards beyond the impact point further on. All 20 passengers and crew on the aircraft died in the crash and two occupants of the house also died.

Emergency service response

Fire, police and ambulance services got to the crash site within minutesof the crash. The fire was put out rapidly but by this time all the casualties had already died.

Investigation

The investigation into the crash of Flight 411 found that the probable cause of the crash was metal fatigue in the bottom bolt securing the starboard wing number 2 flap unit

Flap (aircraft)

Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...

. The aileron

Aileron

Ailerons are hinged flight control surfaces attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. The ailerons are used to control the aircraft in roll, which results in a change in heading due to the tilting of the lift vector...

 locked when number 2 flap unit became detached from the wing trailing edge

Trailing edge

The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge rejoins. Essential control surfaces are attached here to redirect the air flow and exert a controlling force by changing its momentum...

.

Aftermath

The investigation made several recommendations:-

1. That reliance on a single bolt in tension for the support of a primary structure should be avoided if possible.
2. That where such bolts are used an ample margin of strength should be allowed (having regard to the material of which the bolt is made) so as to ensure that fatigue will not develop at any time in the life of the bolt.
3. That where such bolts are used the seating of the bolt and nut should be carefully checked.