South African Airways Flight 201
Encyclopedia
South African Airways
Flight 201, a de Havilland Comet 1
, took off at 18:32 UTC
from Ciampino Airport
in Rome, Italy en route to Cairo
, Egypt
, on the second stage of its flight from London
to Johannesburg
, South Africa
. The flight crashed, killing all aboard at around 19:07 UTC on 8 April 1954. The flight was operated as a charter by British Overseas Airways Corporation
(BOAC) using the aircraft ("Yoke Yoke
"), with a South Africa
n crew of seven, and carrying 14 passengers.
prior to its final flight.
Flying as SA201, Yoke Yoke took off from London for Rome at 13:00 UTC on Thursday 7 April 1954, on the first leg southwards to Johannesburg, arriving at Rome approximately two and a half hours later, at 17:35 UTC. On arrival at Rome engineers discovered some minor faults, including a faulty fuel gauge, which delayed the aircraft's departure by some 25 hours before Yoke Yoke was ready to depart for Cairo on the evening of Thursday 8 April.
The aircraft took off for Cairo at 18:32 UTC under the command of Captain William Mostert, and climbed rapidly towards its cruising height of 35000 feet (10,668 m). The crew reported over the Ostia Beacon at 18:37 UTC, passing though the altitude of 7000 feet (2,133.6 m). The weather was good, but with an overcast sky.
Another report was made by the aircraft, first at 18:49 UTC at Ponza
, where it reported climbing through 11600 feet (3,535.7 m) and another at 18:57 UTC when it reported passing abeam of Naples. At 19:07 UTC, while still climbing, the aircraft contacted Cairo on the long range HF
radio and reported an ETA
of 21:02 UTC.
This was the last message heard from Yoke Yoke, as sometime after, aircraft disintegrated in the night sky at around 35000 feet (10,668 m), killing everyone onboard.
After repeated attempts at re-gaining contact by both Cairo and Rome were made, it was realised that another Comet had been lost. Initial news of the accident was leaked to the press by a German radio station which had been monitoring the radio transmissions.
Three days after the incident, The New York Times carried a piece covering the event.
Bull said that he felt difficulty accepting the fact that the same circumstances that occurred with the BOAC flight occurred with the South African Airways flight.
. The Italian
air-sea rescue services were notified, and searching began at dawn the next day, subsequently involving the Royal Navy
carrier
HMS Eagle
and the destroyer HMS Daring
. Some time later in the day a report was received from a BEA
Ambassador
aircraft of a patch of oil some 70 miles (112.7 km) east of Naples
and bodies and wreckage in the water 30 miles (48.3 km) south-east of Stromboli
. The depth of the Mediterranean Sea at the crash site meant that a salvage mission was ruled out as impractical.
was still in progress, but suspicion of the cause of the loss of Yoke Peter had fallen on the possibility of an engine
turbine
failure. During the previous grounding of all Comets, modifications had since been made to the Comets, including Yoke Yoke, that seemed to eliminate this possibility. The investigation of BOAC 781 revealed manufacturer design defects and metal fatigue
that resulted ultimately in the explosive decompression
that caused both accidents.
South African Airways
South African Airways is the national flag carrier and largest airline of South Africa, with headquarters in Airways Park on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The airline flies to 36 destinations worldwide from its hub at OR Tambo International...
Flight 201, a de Havilland Comet 1
De Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
, took off at 18:32 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
from Ciampino Airport
Ciampino Airport
-Access:There is no rail transport at Ciampino Airport. There are direct bus connections both to Roma Termini railway station and to close local stations...
in Rome, Italy en route to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, on the second stage of its flight from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The flight crashed, killing all aboard at around 19:07 UTC on 8 April 1954. The flight was operated as a charter by British Overseas Airways Corporation
British Overseas Airways Corporation
The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
(BOAC) using the aircraft ("Yoke Yoke
RAF phonetic alphabet
Following the take up of radio, the British Royal Air Force used a succession of radiotelephony spelling alphabets to aid communication. These have now all been superseded by the NATO phonetic alphabet....
"), with a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n crew of seven, and carrying 14 passengers.
Flight and disaster
Gerry Bull and other BOAC engineers examined the aircraft for Flight 201. Previously the same team examined BOAC Flight 781BOAC Flight 781
On 10 January 1954, British Overseas Airways Corporation Flight 781 a de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 registered G-ALYP, took off from Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy, en route to Heathrow Airport in London, England, on the final leg of its flight from Singapore...
prior to its final flight.
Flying as SA201, Yoke Yoke took off from London for Rome at 13:00 UTC on Thursday 7 April 1954, on the first leg southwards to Johannesburg, arriving at Rome approximately two and a half hours later, at 17:35 UTC. On arrival at Rome engineers discovered some minor faults, including a faulty fuel gauge, which delayed the aircraft's departure by some 25 hours before Yoke Yoke was ready to depart for Cairo on the evening of Thursday 8 April.
The aircraft took off for Cairo at 18:32 UTC under the command of Captain William Mostert, and climbed rapidly towards its cruising height of 35000 feet (10,668 m). The crew reported over the Ostia Beacon at 18:37 UTC, passing though the altitude of 7000 feet (2,133.6 m). The weather was good, but with an overcast sky.
Another report was made by the aircraft, first at 18:49 UTC at Ponza
Ponza
Ponza is the largest of the Italian Pontine Islands archipelago, located 33 km south of Cape Circeo in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It also the name of the commune of the island, a part of the province of Latina in the Lazio region....
, where it reported climbing through 11600 feet (3,535.7 m) and another at 18:57 UTC when it reported passing abeam of Naples. At 19:07 UTC, while still climbing, the aircraft contacted Cairo on the long range HF
High frequency
High frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...
radio and reported an ETA
Estimated time of arrival
The estimated time of arrival or ETA is a measure of when a ship, vehicle, aircraft, cargo, emergency service or computer file is expected to arrive at a certain place...
of 21:02 UTC.
This was the last message heard from Yoke Yoke, as sometime after, aircraft disintegrated in the night sky at around 35000 feet (10,668 m), killing everyone onboard.
After repeated attempts at re-gaining contact by both Cairo and Rome were made, it was realised that another Comet had been lost. Initial news of the accident was leaked to the press by a German radio station which had been monitoring the radio transmissions.
Three days after the incident, The New York Times carried a piece covering the event.
Bull said that he felt difficulty accepting the fact that the same circumstances that occurred with the BOAC flight occurred with the South African Airways flight.
Search, recovery and investigation
As soon as it heard of the crash BOAC once again voluntarily grounded all its Comets as it had done three months earlier after the BOAC Flight 781 disasterBOAC Flight 781
On 10 January 1954, British Overseas Airways Corporation Flight 781 a de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 registered G-ALYP, took off from Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy, en route to Heathrow Airport in London, England, on the final leg of its flight from Singapore...
. The Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
air-sea rescue services were notified, and searching began at dawn the next day, subsequently involving the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
HMS Eagle
HMS Eagle (R05)
HMS Eagle was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, in service 1951-1972. With her sister ship , she is one of the two largest British aircraft carriers yet built....
and the destroyer HMS Daring
HMS Daring (D05)
HMS Daring was the nameship of the Daring class of destroyers authorised in 1944. Between 1953 and 1957 they were reclassified as "Darings" and not included in the destroyer total, but from October 1957 they reverted to classification as destroyers....
. Some time later in the day a report was received from a BEA
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...
Ambassador
Airspeed Ambassador
The Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador was a British twin piston engined airliner that first flew on 10 July 1947 and served in small numbers through the 1950s and 1960s.-Design and development:...
aircraft of a patch of oil some 70 miles (112.7 km) east of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and bodies and wreckage in the water 30 miles (48.3 km) south-east of Stromboli
Stromboli
Stromboli is a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of the three active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily. This name is a corruption of the Ancient Greek name Strongulē which was given to it...
. The depth of the Mediterranean Sea at the crash site meant that a salvage mission was ruled out as impractical.
Metal fatigue
At the time of the accident, the investigation into the crash of BOAC Flight 781BOAC Flight 781
On 10 January 1954, British Overseas Airways Corporation Flight 781 a de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 registered G-ALYP, took off from Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy, en route to Heathrow Airport in London, England, on the final leg of its flight from Singapore...
was still in progress, but suspicion of the cause of the loss of Yoke Peter had fallen on the possibility of an engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
failure. During the previous grounding of all Comets, modifications had since been made to the Comets, including Yoke Yoke, that seemed to eliminate this possibility. The investigation of BOAC 781 revealed manufacturer design defects and 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:...
that resulted ultimately in the explosive decompression
Explosive decompression
Uncontrolled decompression refers to an unplanned drop in the pressure of a sealed system, such as an aircraft cabin and typically results from human error, material fatigue, engineering failure or impact causing a pressure vessel to vent into its lower-pressure surroundings or fail to pressurize...
that caused both accidents.
See also
- List of notable decompression accidents and incidents.
- Lists of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
- National Geographic Seconds From Disaster episodes
- List of structural failures and collapses
External links
- "1954: Comet jet crashes with 35 on board," BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...