1962 LOT Vickers Viscount Warsaw crash
|
A LOT Vickers Viscount, similar to the one involved | |
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 December 1962 |
| Summary | Loss of control on approach |
| Site |
Warszawa-Okecie Airport (WAW/EPWA) Coordinates: 52°9′57″N 20°58′2″E / 52.16583°N 20.96722°E |
| Passengers | 28 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 33 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Vickers 804 Viscount |
| Operator | LOT Polskie Linie Lotnicze |
| Registration | SP-LVB |
| Flight origin | Brussels Airport (IATA: BRU, ICAO: EBBR) |
| Stopover | Berlin-Schönefeld Airport (SXF/EDDB) |
| Destination | Warszawa-Okecie Airport (WAW/EPWA) |
The 1962 LOT Vickers Viscount Warsaw crash occurred on 19 December 1962 when a Vickers Viscount 804, operated by LOT Polish Airlines on a flight from Brussels to Warsaw, crashed on landing. All passengers and crew died.
The plane was returning from Brussels, had a mid-way landing in Berlin from where it took off at 5:55 pm. While on approach on runway 33 in Warsaw at 7:30 pm the crew received landing clearance. 46 seconds later the plane crashed and burned 1335 meters from the threshold.
All 33 people aboard died – the crew of 5 and 28 passengers; among whom were:[1]
- Fryderyk Bluemke, Polish engineer, two-stroke engine designer
- Marek Kwiek, Professor of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and member of parliament
- Marcin Szeligiewicz, Polish educator and cultural activist, composer, pianist
The Chief Committee of Aircraft Accident Investigation stated that at the time of the accident the plane was configured for landing (flaps set and landing gear lowered). It also stated there was no explosion mid-air and all damage was a result of the crash. The plane was landing in harsh, Winter weather conditions, with dense near-ground fog, 6/8 overcast, fractostratus clouds at 250 meters, 7-km visibility and temperature of 5 degrees below 0.
One of the probable causes of stalling due to low speed was attributed to turboprop engines features which change the propellers pitch during acceleration. Hence sudden throttle increase is not recommended. Such a maneuver was probably executed by the Captain who was accustomed to flying piston engine aircraft in which such maneuvers are allowed.[2] The Vickers Viscount 804 was recently bought from British United Airways and on LOT's roster for only 84 flight hours.
Official accident causes:
- Crew error
- Crew training errors[3]
There is a possibility that one of the NDB during approach was broken unbeknown to the crew.[4]
References
- ↑ "Po tragicznej katastrofie "Viscounta" na Okęciu: Ustalono już listę ofiar katastrofy". Dziennik Bałtycki (in Polish). Gdańsk. XVIII (302). 21 December 1962. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ↑ Newsweek – Zatajone katastrofy polskiego lotnictwa (Polish)
- ↑ Analiza stanu bezpieczeństwa lotniczego lata 1962–1982. Op. do użytku wewnętrznego (Polish)
- ↑ Jerzy Ziólkowski. "Na Lotowskich Szlakach" (Polish)
- Aviation Safety Network accident description
- ICAO Accident Digest No 14 Volume II Circular 71-AN/63, no.27 (str. 147/148) – report extract