
January 1956 to May 1958
Capital Airlines (USA)
N7410 * - c/n 108 - a V.745 series Viscount
United States registered
June 1954
This was the sixth of thirty Type 745 ordered by Capital Airlines.
Production Order No. F06/745. Sales Order No. F06/68B. Stock Order No. F06/27B.
The first nine aircraft (C/N 103 to 111) were built as Type 745 aircraft with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 506 engines.
All subsequent aircraft in the order were built as Type 745D with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa6 Mark 510 engines.
December 1954
An additional order for 20 Type 745D aircraft was placed by Capital Airlines.
Altogether, the total order was worth $67,000,000 US. This was the highest ever US Dollar export order for the UK at the time.
24 August 1955
A drawing showing the cabin seating arrangement was approved and issued.by Capital Airlines and showed 11 rows of 2 + 2 seats with two toilets at the front, one on each side and a large galley at the rear.
6 January 1956
First flight from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.
15 January 1956
Departed from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England on delivery to Capital Airlines with fleet number ‘329’ fitted with integral front 'airsteps'.
Although powered by Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 506 engines, this aircraft was fitted with the square tipped propeller type more normally associated with Dart RDa6 Mark 510 engine.
This was the first Viscount operator in the USA, preceded by Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) as the first North American operator with routes into the USA.
20 May 1958
Destroyed afer a mid-air collision with a United States Air Force (USAF) Maryland Air National Guard (ANG) Lockheed T-33A serial number 53-5966 which had departed from Martin State Airport on a VFR proficiency flight.
At 11:29 Capital Airlines flight 300 was descending en route from Allegheny County International Airport, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Friendship International Airport, Baltimore, Maryland on an IFR flight plan, but in VFR conditions and was struck by the T-33A at 8,000 ft, four miles east, north east of Brunswick, Maryland, USA.
Just before the collision the Viscount was observed in the area west of Brunswick flying on an easterly course with the T-33A some distance behind and to the left of the Viscount. The T-33A quickly overtook the Viscount and made a gentle right turn during which time it struck the forward port side of the Viscount fuselage.
USAF Captain McCoy, who was flying the T-33A ejected safely but all 4 crew and 7 passengers aboard the Viscount were killed along with the remaining Air National Guard crew member. The Viscount crashed into open farmland at Jefferson, near Brunswick, Maryland, broke up and caught fire. Only the cockpit and tail sections remained recognisable.
9 January 1959
The Civil Aeronautics Board Aircraft Accident Report concluded that 'Captain McCoy was not exercising the normal lookout for other aircraft
required and expected of him during the flight. Had he done so this accident might well have been avoided'.
No blame was attributed to Capital Airlines Captain Kendall J Brady or Co-Pilot Paul F Meyer.
Total time 6,695 hours and 4,400 total landings.
|