British European Airways Flight S200P
Encyclopedia
On 21 April 1948, while on approach to Glasgow-Renfrew Airport
, Vickers VC.1 Viking
, registration G-AIVE, flying British European Airways Flight S200P crashed into Irish Law Mountain in North Ayrshire
, Scotland. No one died in the accident, but 13 of the 20 passengers and crew were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
at 18:09 GMT (19:09 British Summer Time
) on a short haul flight to Glasgow-Renfrew Airport in Scotland
. After a 1 hour flight air traffic control
at Glasgow-Renfrew cleared it for a standard beam
approach into the airport. The last radio contact was at 20:01 when the crew requested confirmation that the outer marker was operative. As the aircraft neared the airport it hit a hill nose first and broke into 3 parts; the engine and the left wing also broke off. Although the plane burst into flames all 20 passengers and crew managed to escape, and all survived. Thirteen people were injured in the accident.
Renfrew Airport
Renfrew Airport was the former domestic airport serving the city of Glasgow until it was decommissioned in 1966.It was located in the Newmains area of Renfrew, approximately 2 kilometres east of Abbotsinch Airfield which would eventually replace it...
, Vickers VC.1 Viking
Vickers VC.1 Viking
The Vickers VC.1 Viking was a British twin-engine short-range airliner derived from the Vickers Wellington bomber and built by Vickers Armstrongs Limited at Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Viking was an important airliner with British airlines...
, registration G-AIVE, flying British European Airways Flight S200P crashed into Irish Law Mountain in North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...
, Scotland. No one died in the accident, but 13 of the 20 passengers and crew were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Accident
The flight had taken off from London-Northolt AirportRAF Northolt
RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station situated in South Ruislip, east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights...
at 18:09 GMT (19:09 British Summer Time
British Summer Time
Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland...
) on a short haul flight to Glasgow-Renfrew Airport in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. After a 1 hour flight air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
at Glasgow-Renfrew cleared it for a standard beam
Beam Approach Beacon System
A blind approach beacon system or beam approach beacon system is an automatic radar landing system developed in the early 1940s....
approach into the airport. The last radio contact was at 20:01 when the crew requested confirmation that the outer marker was operative. As the aircraft neared the airport it hit a hill nose first and broke into 3 parts; the engine and the left wing also broke off. Although the plane burst into flames all 20 passengers and crew managed to escape, and all survived. Thirteen people were injured in the accident.