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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1696.PDF
784 FLIGHT, 15 November 1957 CIVIL AVIATION . . . vided in certain cases for the progressive acquisition by theCommonwealth of country aerodromes. Elimination of un- economic competition on the trunk routes was the intention of the1952 Civil Aviation Agreement; but since this was not working very well in practice, the Government proposed to strengthen the"rationalization" provisions of the act. EAGLE VIKING REPORT TCINDINGS, published last week, of the public inquiry into the-*- accident to the Eagle Aviation Viking G-AJBO at Blackbushe on May 1 show that the Commissioner attributes the cause to "anerror of skill and judgment" made by the captain. The accident to Bravo Oscar occurred at 2220 hr B.S.T. shortlyafter the aircraft had taken off from Blackbushe on a trooping flight to Idris. The wind was slight and visibility 2-4 n.m. Twominutes after leaving the ground, the pilot, Capt. E. D. M. Jones, reported a failure of the port engine, turned to port and completedthe downwind and base legs of the circuit, but the aircraft crashed 1,200 yd from the runway threshold as it was turning on to its finalapproach. There was only one survivor among the 35 on board. After establishing that the Viking was correctly certificated, hada valid certificate of maintenance and was correctly trimmed and loaded, the court studied the handling of the aircraft following thefailure of the port engine. It was pointed out that the performance schedule showed that the Viking should have been capable ofclimbing on one engine at 155 ft/min or, at continuous take-off power, at 250-300 ft/min. The court concluded that Capt.Jones "made an unhurried and not unduly worried circuit to port, probably losing height as he did so ... he may have turned slightlywide when turning on the final approach." [It had been suggested that the runway lighting—since extended—was inadequate, butthe Commissioner concluded that "it had no effect."] At a later stage on the circuit the captain requested the QFE [barometricpressure at airfield level] at Blackbushe, an action upon which the Commissioner commented: "I cannot help thinking that the lackof any anxiety on board, and the failure to attempt to gain height . . . tend to indicate that Capt. Jones thought his aircraft a gooddeal higher than it was, and that he may have been relying on an altimeter on which QNH [regional pressure setting] at Chathamhad been set." This supposition was partly supported by evidence from the wreckage; one altimeter which was found was set atabout QNH pressure, although the other—which could feasibly have been set at QFE—was not recovered. But "it is curious tonote that the aircraft when proceeding to take off never asked for the QFE . . . The request for the QFE at so late a stage of thecircuit may indicate the sudden realization that all was not well. The fact that the flaps were not used is perhaps a further indicationto the same effect. The sudden shudder described by 2Lt. Taylor [the only survivor] is the normal precursor of a stall. The factthat the tip of the port wing struck first is exactly what was to be expected in the case of an aircraft whose port engine was dead andwhich had lost flying speed. Everything points to the fact that Capt. Jones had no idea that the aircraft was so low; he made noattempt to climb and had his undercarriage down, thereby of course increasing the stalling speed, and stalled his aircraft some1,200 yd from the runway threshold he was seeking to reach." Evidence as to the qualification of the crew was then examined.Capt. Jones ("a deliberate sort of man who ... did a very good job on the ground as well as in the air—a very reliable man") had flowna total of 6,800 hr—4,800 hr on Vikings—and had made 36 night landings in Vikings at Blackbushe in the 18 months prior to the The first of the new 810/840 breed of Viscounts takes shape in the Vickers factory at Weybridge. It is the first of 15 for Continental Airlines of Denver, Colorado, due for delivery early next year. In the background is the Hughes Tool Company's Viscount, which has been awaiting delivery under dust-covers for more than a year. accident. After considering in detail the group rating, instrumentrating and six-monthly tests undergone by the Viking captain, the Commissioner commented that "there is no satisfactory evidencethat in the course of his employment by Eagle Aviation, Ltd., Captain Jones was ever required to land an aircraft at night on oneengine";"and, that "So far as the six-monthly tests are concerned ... I am satisfied that they did not amount to satisfactory tests tosatisfy the regulations." He then added, "It is reassuring to observe that Eagle Aviation had started to put its house in order a con-siderable time before May 1957." Recommendations concerning the various tests were (1) Grouprating test: if the responsibility for this test is to be placed upon operating companies, examining pilots should be approved by theM.T.C.A. The form used should specify the take-offs and land- ings involved, and the times of each, whether by day or night,should be stated. (2) Instrument rating renewal test: part three of the test (the procedure for landing by instruments and over-shooting) is only to be carried out in the course of a special flight. (3) The six-monthly check: insofar as this involves landing withone engine inoperative, insistence should be placed upon it being conducted on a special flight; every other test ought to include anight landing with an inoperative engine. Finally, it was also suggested that consideration should be given to instruction of thepassengers in the location and manipulation of emergency exits. THE NOISE OF THE COMET •"THE Comet 3, which returned to Hatfield on November 11 after-•- successfully completing its take-off and landing trials at Johan- nesburg, is to undergo noise-measurement tests at Hatfield. ThePort of New York Authority, the world's most noise-conscious airport authority (it has banned all jet aircraft but the Caravellefrom its airports) is to co-operate with Rolls-Royce and de Havil- land in a programme of measurement of the noise characteristicsof the aircraft fitted with Rolls-Royce jet-noise suppressors. The programme may last about two weeks, and the P.N.Y.A. mayannounce its findings before mid-December. Stockholm's airport authority measured the noise of the Comet 3 on its visit to Sweden last June (before the suppressors were fitted) and said that the Comet made no more noise than the latest piston- engined and turboprop airliners. Napier's Eland Convair takes-off through mud at Luton after a run starting from the parking area near the factory. This picture, first published in a local newspaper, provides evidence of Napier's diffi- culties in maintaining all-weather test flights from Luton Airport
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