Court Line Flight 95
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 April 1974 |
| Type | Ground collision due to pilot error |
| Site | London Luton Airport |
| Total injuries | 1 |
| Total fatalities | 1 |
| Total survivors | 92 |
| First aircraft | |
 A BAC One-Eleven, similar to the accident aircraft. | |
| Type | BAC One-Eleven 518 |
| Name | Halcyon Night |
| Operator | Court Line |
| Tail number | G-AXMJ |
| Flight origin | London Luton Airport, United Kingdom |
| Destination | Munich Airport, West Germany |
| Passengers | 86 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 91 |
| Second aircraft | |
_00.jpg) A Piper PA-23 Aztec, similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Type | Piper PA-23 Aztec |
| Operator | McAlpine Aviation |
| Tail number | G-AYDE |
| Flight origin | London Luton Airport |
| Destination | Ringway Airport, Manchester, Greater Manchester |
| Passengers | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
Court Line Flight 95 was an international charter flight from London Luton Airport, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom to Munich Airport, West Germany. On 18 April 1974, it was operated by BAC One-Eleven 518 G-AXMJ. During its take-off run, Piper PA-23 Aztec G-AYDE of McAlpine Aviation entered the active runway without permission. Although the pilots of the One-Eleven tried to take avoiding action, a collision between the two aircraft occurred, killing the pilot of the Aztec and injuring his passenger. The pilots of the substantially damaged One-Eleven successfully aborted the take-off and all on board evacuated by means of the emergency slides. The Aztec was written off, but the One-Eleven was repaired and returned to service. Four recommendations were made as the result of the accident.
Accident
Flight 95 was an international charter flight from London Luton Airport to Munich Airport, West Germany. At 15:19, the One-Eleven received permission to taxi to holding point Delta where it was to await clearance. At 15:24 GMT, permission was granted for the One-Eleven to enter Runway 08/26 and backtrack along Runway 08, where the aircraft was to hold at the threshold awaiting permission to take-off. The One-Eleven reported it was entering Runway 08/26 between 15:25:14 and 15:25:23. At 15:25:32, the Aztec reported that it was ready to taxi. Information was given to the pilot of the Aztec that the wind was from 300° at 10 knots (19 km/h) and the pilot was offered a choice of Runway 08 or Runway 26 for take-off. He chose to take-off from Runway 26. At about 15:26, the Aztec was instructed "Cleared to Alfa Two Six", This was non-standard phraseology, The correct instruction should have been "Cleared to holding point Alfa, Runway Two Six". This non-standard phraseology was a causal factor in the accident. In the meantime, the One-Eleven had received clearance to take-off at 15:25:24 and reported that it was rolling at 15:27:31. At 15:27:49, the Aztec was asked to report when it was ready for take-off, to which the reply was that it would be ready in 30 seconds' time.
The Aztec then entered the active runway. The passenger on board the Aztec, who was also a pilot himself, the queried the pilot via the intercom as to whether or not the aircraft had been cleared to enter the runway. He did not receive an answer and by this time the aircraft had entered the runway. At this point, the One-Eleven had reached a speed of 100 knots (190 km/h) during its take-off run. The First Officer was flying the aircraft at the time. The Commander, seeing the Aztec enter the runway from the left and realising it was not going to stop, took control of the aircraft. Both throttles were fully opened and he steered the aircraft to the right whilst attempting to lift the port wing over the Aztec. The passenger in the Aztec saw the One-Eleven approaching and ducked before the collision occurred, but was unable to warn the pilot of the impending collision. The port wing of the One-Eleven sliced through the cabin of the Aztec, killing the pilot instantly and injuring the passenger. The Aztec was written off. The One-Eleven was substantially damaged, with the outer 6 metres (20 ft) of the port wing damaged and fuel leaking from the tank contained therein. By use of full reverse thrust and maximum braking, the take-off was successfully aborted in the remaining length of runway. The One-Eleven stopped 750 metres (820 yd) beyond the point of collision.
As there was danger of fire from the leaking fuel, an emergency evacuation of the aircraft was ordered. Although the rear doors opened as intended and the slides deployed, both forward doors required considerable force to open them before all on board could evacuate the aircraft. No injuries were sustained in the evacuation. The investigation subsequently was able to replicate the difficulty in opening both forward doors on the One-Eleven. It was discovered that inadequate guidance from the manufacturer of the escape slides meant that they were incorrectly stowed. One door had an incorrect part fitted. A warning was issued to all One-Eleven operators and the relevant aviation authorities concerning the issue.
After the accident, some airline pilots called for General Aviation aircraft to be banned from using Luton. A view which was not supported by the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
Aircraft
BAC One-Eleven
The BAC One-Eleven 518 involved was registered G-AXMJ, c/n H204, which had been built in February 1970. Following the accident, the aircraft was repaired and returned to service. In February 1975, it was re-registered G-BCWG. The aircraft was later sold to Philippine Airlines and re-registered RP-C1189.
Piper Aztec
The Piper PA-23 Aztec involved was registered G-AYDE, c/n 27-3807. Manufactured in 1967, it had previously been registered N6516Y in the United States, before being sold to McAlpine Aviation in 1970.
Investigation
The Accident was investigated by the Accidents Investigation Branch. The final report was issued on 26 February 1975. The cause of the accident was found to be that the pilot of the Aztec entered the active runway without permission. Non-standard phraseology by the controller at Luton was found to be a contributory factor. The ground markings and signage at Luton was found to be compliant with the legislation then existing. No stop bars or stop lights were provided, nor were they required by law. The pilots were not informed by radio of each others movements, so may have been unaware that the runway was being used for departures in both directions. Although the radio installation on the Aztec conformed to legislation then existing, its arrangement was criticized as the passenger/co-pilot could not hear in his headset transmissions made by the pilot. Four recommendations were made; three concerning the operation of Luton Airport and one concerning the radio installation in aircraft.
References
Sources
Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_Line_Flight_95
