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Aviation History
1969
1969 - 0068.PDF
52 AIR TRANSPORT BMA/INVICTA MERGER AN "agreement in principle" on a merger has been reached by the directors of British Midland Airways, of East Midlands Airport, Derby, and Invicta Airways, of Manston, Kent. An announcement late last week said that the proposed merger had been approved by the Minster Assets Group who are major shareholders in both companies. The terms, which are to be recommended by Peat, Marwick and Mitchell & Co. chartered accountants, will be agreed early in February. Pending the complete merger the two companies will co-operate in their various operations. Both do inclusive-tour and other charter business and BMA also has a scheduled-service network. BAD MONTH FOR SAFETY ALL five Viscount 700s flying in Australia were withdrawn as a precaution last week after the crash of VH-RMQ about 27 miles from Port Hedland, Western Australia, while on a flight from Perth. The Viscount, on charter from Ansett Airlines to Mac.Robertson Miller Airlines, had just started its descent to Port Hedland when it apparently broke up in the air. The 21 passengers and five crew members were killed. The main wreckage was spread over a distance of about H miles. Approximately a mile south were the two starboard powerplants, with the outboard wing nearby. Part of the tail was found about midway between these and the main wreckage. Both data and cockpit voice recorders have been found. VH-RMQ (previously -TVB) was the oldest Viscount in Australia with a total flying time of 31.800hr during which about 20.000 landings had been made. Of the five 700s in FLIGHT international. 9 January 1969 service, Trans-Australia Airlines have three and Ansett one. As the ta'ble on this page records, December was a poor month for safety, with eight fatal accidents, all but three involving heavy passenger fatalities on scheduled operations. Apart from the accidents to the Wien Consolidated F-27 and the Pan American Boeing 707 already recorded, two Convair 580s, one operated by North Central and the other by Allegheny, crashed during or after approaches in bad weather. ITF SAFETY DEMANDS A DEMAND that all airlines should use emulsified fuels as soon as these become available was made last month by the Civil Aviation Safety Committee of the International Trans port Workers Federation. It accepted that emulsified fuel fires could be more easily extinguished and were less likely to occur under crash impact than was the case with present liquid fuels, and urged that development should be hastened. The committee also demanded that all airports used for scheduled air transport services should install, as soon as possible, a static-free aid such as VOR, coupled with at least DME to give guidance for the start of the final approach, and an ILS or other similar system on the main runway. Technical and financial aid should be given by international agencies to countries unable to provide such essential airport aids. A minimum age of 21 for obtaining a cabin attendant's licence was suggested. The committee asked for proper physical standards with periodical medical examinations: knowledge of survival requirements in isolated regions; knowledge of group and individual behaviour; full information about the use of emergency and survival equipment and procedures; first-aid training; and a proficiency test to be held every 12 months. The type of aircraft for which crew member is licenced should, the committee said, be stated on the licence, and the applicant should be required to have completed 100 flying hours as supernumerary crew member. ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS: NOVEMBER/DECEMBER FATAL ACCIDENTS Date Nov. 25 Dec. 2 7 12 24 24 26 27 31 Carrier Air America* Wien Consolidated Conquest Airways Pan American Interior Airways (leased from Air lift). Allegheny Pan American North Central Mac.Robertson Miller (on charter from Ansect) Aircraft C-46 (N-I386N) F-27 (N-4905) Beech IB (N-433A) B.707 (N-494 PA) L-100 Hercules (N-760A) Convair 580 B.707 (N-799PA) Convair 580 (N-2045) Viscount 700 (VH-RMQ) Location Nr Savannakhet, Laos. Lake Spotsy, Alaska. St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Ten miles from Mai- quetia Airport, Caracas. Venezuela. Nr Anchorage, Alaska. Bradford. Pa., USA. Elmendorf Air Base, Anchorage, Alaska. O'Hare, Chicago. Near Port Hedland, WA, Australia. Fatalities Pais Crew 23 3 37 3 2 1 42 9 — 2 18 2 _ 3 26 21 5 Total Occupants Pass Crew 25 3 37 3 10 1 42 9 — 4 44 3 — 3 41 4 21 5 Circumstances Engine failure after take-off. - . Broke up in air. Failed to gain height after take-off; struck house in which fo'ur were also kilted. Dived into sea in flames while on approach. On landing: bulk-petroleum cargo intact. Struck ground on approach in snowstorm. At take-off on cargo flight. Hit hangar after attempted overshoot at night. Apparently broke up soon after start of descent to Port Hedland. * New and/or revised information. 2Udli -oeds . NON-FATAL ACCIDENTS aiuJul yldinabie 3VXtU33?3 1 Date, Carrier Injuries Pass Crew Total Occupants Circumstances sriT .1, Island Flight -nggq -a^(5fifn -OT& nrk '-©• ufjhansa riitedtArab waW bn. Cherokee (N.4698R) B.707 (D-ABUT) DC-6 (SU-ANP) DC-9 In sea off Hawaii Ikeja Airport, Lagos Ikeja Airport, Lagos Sioux City, Iowa Forced landed after mechanical failure. Starboard wing of taxying 707 struck wingtip of parked DC-6. 707 flown to Frankfurt after temporary repairs. Crashed beyond runway after take-off.
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