droops were retracted. But such a thing has happened before, in Brooklyn in December 1960, when an 11-year-old boy was the lone survivor of what was at the time the deadliest flight disaster in history. British European Airways Flight 548 was a scheduled passenger flight from London Heathrow to Brussels that crashed near the town of Staines, England, soon af. [51], A BEA captain, Eric Pritchard, arrived soon after the bodies had been removed; he noted the condition of the wreckage and drew conclusions:[50]. It was stationary at one of the terminal piers when a freighter jet carrying horses got out of control and crashed into its side. (FDR). A group of 22 BEA Trident co-pilots known as supervisory first officers (SFOs) were already on strike, citing their low status and high workload. to which Key responded with a violent [49], Drivers formed heavy traffic jams and were described by Minister of Aerospace Michael Heseltine on BBC Television that evening as "ghouls, unfortunate ghouls". inexperienced pilots while Key and It was believed that the crew was The flight crew boarded BE 548 ( call sign Bealine 548) at 15:20 to prepare for a 15:45 departure. On June 18, 1972, British European Airways (BEA) Flight 548 crashed soon after takeoff near Staines, Middlesex, England, killing all 118 passengers and crew. [25] The forward fuselage of this aircraft is preserved and on public display at the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, London Colney. [38], At 16:09:44 (74 seconds after the start of the take-off run), passing 690 feet (210m), Key began the turn towards the Epsom NDB and reported that he was climbing as cleared and the flight entered cloud. that day was second officer Simon It has been just over 48 years since the crash of British European Airways Flight 548 which devastatingly cost the lives of all 118 people on board a BEA Hawker Siddeley Trident. [64] It was opened by Geoffrey Wilkinson of the AIB with a description of the accident, and counsel for the relatives of the crew members and passengers then presented the results of their private investigations. Tricehusrt and Keighley were young, and stick-pusher system. [57] A captain who had flown Papa India on the morning of the accident flight noted no technical problems, and the public inquiry found that the position of the valve had no significant effect on the system. there were three other pilots capable of distracted the crew from flying the 225kts. Coastal Beverage Ltd. Is a family owned distributor of Anheuser-Busch, Constellation and a diverse variety of craft beer products, Wine, Tea & Seltzer. The Captain's medical state continued to be the subject of "conflicting views of medical experts" throughout the inquiry and beyond. struck the ground, causing total [65] They involved hypotheses about the mental state of Captain Key, conjecture about his physical state (Kreindler highlighted disagreements between US and British cardiologists) and allegations about BEA management. Key levelled the wings but held the aircraft's nose up, which kept the angle of attack high, further approaching a stall. [15] The incident resulted in the Trident being fitted with an automatic stall warning system known as a "stick shaker", and a stall recovery system known as a "stick pusher" which automatically pitched the aircraft down to build up speed if the crew failed to respond to the warning. The accident became known as the Staines air disaster. British European Airways Flight 548 was a scheduled passenger flight from London Heathrow to Brussels that crashed near Staines, Surrey, England, soon after take-off on 18 June 1972, killing all 118 people on board. clouds at 1,000ft. The accident became known as theStaines disasterand remained the deadliest air disaster in Britain until thePan Am Flight 103bombing overLockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. On Sunday, 18 June 1972, the British European Airways (BEA) Trident 1C departed from London, England for scheduled air service to Brussels, Belgium, but . Though the exact time of impact and that the accident was The lack of crew training on how to manage pilot incapacitation. transmission from 548. It had taken place "not more than two hours before the death and not less than about a minute" according to the pathologist's opinion given as evidence during the public inquiry. Key regarding his position on the strike indicating that he was probably not The crew comprised Captain Stanley Key as P1, Second Officer Jeremy Keighley as P2 and Second Officer Simon Ticehurst as P3. Hence, the accident was subsequently referred to as the Staines air disaster. clearance to 6,000ft, the droops were The strike had also disrupted services, causing Flight 548 to be loaded with the maximum weight allowable. The captain was 51 and had accumulated 15,000 flying hours experience, of which 4,000 were on Tridents. Captain Key was 51 and had 15,000 flying hours experience, including 4,000 on Tridents. up an aircraft. British European Airways Flight 548 crashed near Staines soon after takeoff killing 118 people. Shortly afterwards, BE 548 reported passing 1,500 feet (460m) above ground level and was re-cleared to climb to 6,000 feet (1,800m). the two pilots. [50] Reports that the public impeded rescue services were dismissed during the inquiry. minute later, the Trident emerged from Another recommendation was for greater caution before allowing off-duty crew members to occupy flight deck seats. After them while possibly trying to retract A terrible mess.. British European Airways Flight 548 was a scheduled passenger flight from London Heathrow to Brussels that crashed near Staines, Surrey, England, soon after take-off on 18 June 1972, killing all 118 people on board. It cited the captains heart condition and the limited experience of the co-pilot, while also noting an unspecified technical problem that they apparently resolved while still on the runway. The speed was 177 knots (328km/h; 204mph), and height above the ground was 1,560 feet (475m), with the aircraft still held into its usual climb attitude. Witness the story of BEA Flight 548, a scheduled passenger flight from London . FAA completes first phase of 737 Max flight tests, Wizz Air flights get underway again at Southend, The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has confirmed it is sending a team to Liverpool Aiport (LPL/EGGP) after a private jet veered off the runway after landing earlier today. was in this attitude that the aircraft google_ad_width = 468; Autopsies preformed on the flight crew uncovered some clues as to what may have happened on the flightdeck of 548. The fatalities included the entire United States figure skating . wings, but with the autopilot disengaged [35][36], The "deadheading" crew was led by Captain John Collins, an experienced former Trident First Officer, who was allocated the observer's seat on the flight deck. The aircraft suffered a deep stall shortly after takeoff, eventually coming down just south of the busy A30 road, a short distance from the town of Staines-upon-Thames. The low flying-experience level of Second Officer Keighley. [58] An inquest was held into the 118 deaths, opening on 27 June 1972. [66][67], The inquiry also conducted field inspections, flew in real Tridents and "flew" the BEA Trident simulator as well as observing the Hawker Siddeley Trident control systems rig. It [read more], A new study suggests that General Aviation (GA) pilots downplay the impact of stress on flight safety compared to factors such as inclement weather. BEA Flight 548: Staines I found myself reading up on BEA Flight 548 today to prepare for a lecture I'm giving on safety. BEA Flight 548: Staines A wide ranging forum for issues facing Aviation Professionals and Academics BEA Flight 548: Staines Reply Subscribe Thread Tools Search this Thread 18th Jun 2012, 17:48 # 1 ( permalink) Genghis the Engineer Moderator Thread Starter Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: UK Posts: 14,028 Likes: 7 Received 10 Likes on 3 Posts Still, There is little doubt that [23], Investigations into the event found no mechanical malfunction that could have caused the premature leading-edge device retraction, and stated that the aircraft had "just about managed to stay flying". Note: All timings in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) from the official accident report. The passengers included between 25 and 30 women and several children.[33]. The aircraft involved in the crash was a Vickers Vanguard type 951, registered in United Kingdom as G-APEC. [55] In such inquiries, AIB inspectors were on an equal footing with all other parties, and the ultimate reports were not drafted by them, but by the Commissioner and his or her Assessors. The dispute was controversial, those in favour being mainly younger pilots, and those against mostly older. [52] The crash was the first in the United Kingdom involving the loss of more than 100 lives. Captain Key was 51 and had 15,000 flying hours experience, including 4,000 on Tridents. The leading-edge devices were retracted prematurely. In particular, Lee Kreindler of the New York City Bar presented claims and arguments that were considered tendentious and inadmissible by pilots and press reporters. but not all of those employed by BEA co-pilot. The crew failed to recognise the reasons for the stall warnings and stall recovery system operation. unrecoverable in T-tailed aircraft. Collins were some of the most senior men The hundreds of workers struggling in clinging mud and a steady drizzle to cut their way into the buckled remains of the plane were hampered through the night by hundreds of sight-seers flocking towards the area. Bad Attitude: With Colin Wright, David Learmount, Chris Pollard, Peter Coombs. procedure. [56] Pressure of work caused by the Lane Inquiry was blamed for the death of a senior AIB inspector who committed suicide during the inquiry. British European Airways Flight 548 (also known as the Staines Air Disaster or BEA Flight 548) was a passenger flight from London, England to Brussels, Belgium. Eventually, it entered a flat spin, and appeared to be about to crash, but a wing dropped during the stall, and when corrected with rudder the other wing dropped. The accident became known as the Staines air disaster. believed that Key, in his pain and Recommendations from the inquiry led to the mandatory installation of cockpit voice recorders in British-registered airliners. A magnifying glass. The aircraft suffered a deep stall in the third minute of its flight and crashed to the ground, narrowly missing a busy main road. limiting device which prevented droop uncovered some clues as to what may have [30] The cabin crew consisted of Senior Steward Frederick Farey, Steward Alan Lamb and Stewardess Jennifer Mowat (the youngest crew member on the flight, at 19). Witness the story of BEA Flight 548, a scheduled passenger flight from London Heathrow to Brussels, which crashed in June of 1972 shortly after take-off near the town of Staines, England. Speaking in the House of Commons, Minister for Aerospace and Shipping Michael Heseltine paid tribute to the work done by Mr Justice Lane, Sir Morien Morgan and Captain Jessop for the work they had carried out during the inquiry into the accident.[71]. Two hours after the crash, all roads in the area were jammed by traffic. pain and distraction. The inquest principally blamed the captain for failing to maintain airspeed and configure the high-lift devices correctly. distracted in attending to him. increased speed or immediately lowered the nose and unstalled the The incident led to the mandatory installation of cockpit voice recorders or "black boxes" for registered airlines. The aircraft suffered a deep stall shortly after takeoff, eventually coming down just south of the busy A30 road, a short distance from the town of Staines-upon-Thames. [60] The flight entered a deep stall shortly after takeoff, and is the worst air accident in the history of the United Kingdom. fell into a field just south of the A30, The captain, John We just about saw it hit the ground because it was right in a clump of trees. On 14 July, the High Court Judge Sir Geoffrey Lane was appointed to preside over the inquiry as Commissioner. [54], The British aviation community was wary of public inquiries for several reasons. [39] One second afterwards, visual and audible warnings of a stall activated on the flight deck, followed at 16:10:26 (116 seconds) by a stick shake and at 16:10:27 (117 seconds) by a stick push which disconnected the autopilot, in turn activating a loud autopilot disconnect warning horn that continued to sound for the remainder of the flight. A Flight Data Recorder and a Cockpit Voice Recorder are often combined into one single unit known widely as a black box. senior captain. The tail section was almost if not completely separated from the rest of the airframe. Many of the older This was a non-standard procedure, and shortly afterward he also retracted the leading-edge droops. abatement procedure which involved London Heathrow preparing for a flight watching when the droops were retracted. No injuries were reported after an Air France Boeing 777-300 was forced to make an emergency landing at Trudeau Airport in Montreal Thursday afternoon. The aircraft was built in 1959 with a serial number of 706. deviations from procedure were believed [14], The danger first came to light in a near-crash during a 1962 test flight when de Havilland pilots Peter Bugge and Ron Clear were testing the Trident's stalling characteristics by pitching its nose progressively higher, thus reducing its airspeed. I found myself reading up on BEA Flight 548 today to . between employees of British European After the crash, wreckage was scattered for a radius if almost four hundred yards around the shattered fuselage. The accident became known as the Staines air disaster. retraction. June 18, Key was in the crew room at The Lane report also highlighted that an off-duty colleague, Captain Collins, was sitting in the cockpits jump seat and may have been a distraction to the pilots flying another possible reason why the pilots failed to notice their dangerously low airspeed. activated the stick-shaker/pusher It became clear during It was just coming out of the mist when the engines stalled and it seemed it glided down. warn pilots. Clearance to taxi was given at 16:03. BEA changed their medical examination was allowed to get too slow in an back up into a stall attitude. The aircraft took off [61] In other words, Key could have suffered it at any time between the row in the crewroom and 90 seconds after the start of the take-off run (the instant of commencing noise abatement procedures). February 17, 2022 Summary: On June 18, 1972, just a day before a planned strike in response to working conditions, the flight crew of British European Airways (BEA) Flight 548 found themselves facing a surprising emergency just minutes after takeoff. Contact me via @Admiral_Cloudberg on Reddit or by email at kylanddempsey@gmail.com. not believe that Keighley would have 2 engine had dug a considerable crater. The absence of a baulk mechanism to prevent droop retraction at too low an airspeed. As the first teams of firemen reached the wreck site throughout the night they were to work at considerable personal risk as the aircraft contained tones of highly flammable fuel they clawed with their hands in desperate attempts to reach the passengers inside. that the stick-shaker/pusher system was Ticehurst was 24 and had over 1,400 hours, including 750 hours on Tridents. The The weather was mild, but The flight crew boarded BE 548 (call sign Bealine 548) at 15:20 to prepare for a 15:45 departure. the Trident was not equipped with a airspeed of 162kts, some 63kts below the becoming aware of Key's degrading //-->. The strike had also disrupted services, causing Flight 548 to be loaded with the maximum weight allowable. knew of his temper. was found in the wreckage with the part of all pilot's Trident training. The safe climb speed (V2) of 152 knots (282km/h; 175mph) was reached quickly, and the undercarriage was retracted. disturbance of though processes at the [7] Key's anti-strike views had won enemies, and graffiti against him had appeared on the flight decks of BEA Tridents, including the incident aircraft, G-ARPI (Papa India). Give Us a Call 239-643-4343 As a result of being limited to the P3 role, BEA Trident SFOs/P3s were denied experience of aircraft handling, which led to loss of pay, which they resented. Although In the event, they were not needed. before climbing into the overcast layer. Wikipedia: British European Airways Flight 548 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia started to accelerate again when the Conditions were turbulent, with driving rain and a low cloud base of 1,000 feet (300m); broken cloud was also reported at 600 feet (180m), and the official report says that the crew would have been without any visual reference at "crucial times" during the flight. In this episode Read More Episodes British European Airways, United Kingdom One of the pilots who [11][12] By the time of Papa India's first flight on 14 April 1964, de Havilland had lost their separate identity under Hawker Siddeley Aviation, and the aircraft was delivered to BEA on 2 May 1964. to Brussels. This was exceeded by 24 kilograms (53lb), but as there had been considerable fuel burnoff between startup and takeoff, the total aircraft weight (including fuel) was within the maximum permitted take-off weight. 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