1965 Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748 crash

Aviation incident in England July 2014 April 2021 1965 Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748 crash Accident G-ARMV Avro 748 Srs 1 Skyways B-Hill 04MAY63 (5944627856).jpg 250px Avro 748 G-ARMV G-ARMV, the accident aircraft 11 July 1965 Defective infrastructure, pilot error Lympne Airport, Kent, United Kingdom 51 05 N 1 01 E inline, title Avro 748-101 Series 1 Skyways Coach-Air G-ARMV Beauvais Airport, Oise, France Lympne Airport, Kent, United Kingdom 48 4 3+ 0 52 The 1965 Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748 crash occurred on 11 July 1965 when Avro 748-101 Series 1 G-ARMV, flown during a scheduled international passenger flight from Beauvais Airport, Oise, France, crashed on landing at its intended destination of Lympne Airport, Kent, United Kingdom. The accident was due to the grass runway being unable to support the weight of the aircraft during a heavy landing. This caused the nose wheels to dig in and the aircraft to overturn, losing both wings and the starboard tailplane in the process. All 52 people on board survived. This was the first accident involving the Avro 748/HS 748 that resulted in a write-off. A concrete runway was later installed at Lympne. Aircraft The accident aircraft was Avro 748-101 Series 1 G-ARMV, c/n 1536. The aircraft was manufactured in 1961 and had flown 3,432 hours at the time of the accident.https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19650711-1 G-ARMV Accident description Aviation Safety Network 1 March 2011 Accident The aircraft was deployed as a scheduled international passenger flight from Beauvais Airport, Oise, France to Lympne Airport, Kent, United Kingdom. This flight was part of Skyways Coach Air's coach-air service, in which passengers were taken by coach from Paris to Beauvais, flown to Lympne and then taken by coach to London.Paris Show Preview Flight International 16 March 1967 415 http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%200421.html The aircraft departed Beauvais at 15:51 UTC (16:51 local time) carrying 4 crew and 48 passengers.November 2025 The weather at Lympne at the time the aircraft departed Beauvais indicated that visibility was 2000 m yd, with wind at 18 kn km/h from 220° and a cloudbase of 250 ft m.November 2025 After passing Abbeville, an updated weather report was sent to the aircraft which showed a visibility of 1000 m yd in drizzle, cloudbase 250 ft m and winds of 18 kn km/h from 220°, gusting to 26 kn km/h.November 2025 The visibility was below the minimum requirement of 1100 m yd for landing, although the captain was later informed that visibility had "improved slightly".November 2025 At 3.5 nmi km from touchdown, an IFR approach was initiated under the guidance of the radar controller at Lympne. When the aircraft was 0.5 nmi km from the airport, it was at an altitude of 220 ft m above airport level. The captain reported that he could see the end of Runway 20 through the drizzle. At 0.25 nmi km from touchdown, the aircraft ran into severe turbulence and drifted to the right of the runway centre-line. Full flap was applied and power was reduced. The aircraft crossed the airfield boundary at 92 kn km/h, reducing to 88 kn km/h as the landing flare was begun at a height of 40 ft m. As the throttles were closed, the starboard wing dropped and the rate of descent of the aircraft increased. The captain attempted to keep the aircraft level, with the result that it landed heavily. The nose wheel dug into the grass runway, flipping the aircraft onto its back, as the aircraft spun through 180° and ended up facing in the direction from which it had approached; the upside-down aircraft then slid for 400 yd m, ripping off both wings and the starboard tailplane, and crushing the tail.Collyer 1992 152–53 thumb|Wreckage of G-ARMV The passengers were left hanging upside-down in their seats. One mother was holding a baby that was not strapped in. All on board escaped from the aircraft, with three people needing to be treated in hospital suffering from shock. A number of passengers were also treated at Lympne. Thirty-six of the passengers continued their journey to London, some with fuel-soaked clothing. The aircraft, with a replacement cost of £250,000, was written off.London Cover For Skyways Plane 13 July 1965 18 56372 F This was the first Avro 748/HS 748 to be written off in an accident.Denham 1996 86 Skyways Coach-Air leased an Avro 748 from LIAT for two years in 1968 to replace the aircraft lost.Collyer 1992 151 The grass runway at Lympne had previously suffered from waterlogging, leading to the closure of the airport in December 1951,Brevities Flight 11 January 1952 52 http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1952/1952%20-%200114.html and again in February 1953.Complaints about Lympne Flight 20 February 1953 235 http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%200237.html A new 4500 ft m concrete runway was constructed in early 1968, coming into use on 11 April.New Name for Lympne Flight 25 April 1968 605 http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1968/1968%20-%200627.html Investigation An investigation into the accident was opened by the Accidents Investigation Branch.51 Escape When Aircraft Is Wrecked 12 July 1965 10 56371 F The probable cause of the accident was stated to be "a heavy landing following an incomplete flare from a steeper than normal approach." References Sources David G Collyer 1992 Lympne Airport in old photographs Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd Stroud 0-7509-0169-1 Terry Denham 1996 World Directory of Airliner Crashes Patrick Stephens Ltd Sparkford 1-85260-554-5 External links Photograph of G-ARMV landing at Biggin Hill on 4 May 1965 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Kent Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Hawker Siddeley HS 748 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1965 Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error Category:Skyways Limited accidents and incidents Category:1965 disasters in the United Kingdom Category:July 1965 in the United Kingdom Category:Airliner accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom