27 July 2024
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Viscount Survivors


59 of the 444 Viscounts built survive as complete airframes or major components. Some are in very good condition and are looked after by museums while others are just wrecks. They can be found in 24 countries.

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Established 2005
Vickers Viscount Network
A Virtual Museum dedicated to the Vickers-Armstrongs VC2 Viscount
   

Viscount c/n 112

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 112
Capital Airlines (USA)


United States flag United States

This V.745D series Viscount was built for
Capital Airlines (USA) as N7414

It first flew on Wednesday, 22 February 1956 at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 510 engines.


During its life this aircraft was also owned and/or operated by
Austrian Airlines (AUA) and Aloha Airlines


Photo of Viscount c/n 112
Aeropesca Colombia


Colombia flag Colombia

Its final owner/operator was
Aeropesca Colombia as HK-1320.

Its fate:-
Crashed into a jungle area on the slopes of Mount Santa Elena near Puente Quetame, Colombia and caught fire on a flight from Florencia to Neiva 26 August 1981. Burnt out wreckage found by the rescue team the following day. Sadly, all 6 crew and 44 passengers were killed.


Operational record
Photo of Capital Airlines (USA) Viscount N7414

Country of Registration United States

March 1956 to January 1961

Capital Airlines (USA)

N7414 - c/n 112 - a V.745D series Viscount
United States registered

June 1954
This was the tenth of thirty Type 745 ordered by Capital Airlines.

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.

Production Aircraft No. 99 - the 99th production Type 700 series Viscount built,
was the 60th Viscount fuselage assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England,
and the 64th Viscount assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

Production Order No. F10/745. Sales Order No. F10/68B. Stock Order No. F10/27B.

23 August 1955
Fuselage assembly commenced at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

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.

11 October 1955
Fuselage to Erecting Shop 'E' at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

22 February 1956
First flight from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

3 March 1956
Departed from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England on delivery to Capital Airlines with fleet number ‘333’ fitted with integral front 'airsteps'.

Powered by Rolls-Royce Dart RDa6 Mark 510 engines fitted with the square tipped propeller type.

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.

21 May 1957
After departing from La Guardia Airport, New York, USA an explosive cabin decompression occurred near Branchville, New Jersey, USA.

The starboard forward cargo door had become detached and luggage then fell out and some of it struck the No.3 propeller.

The No.3 Rolls-Royce Dart engine started to vibrate and was shut down and the propeller feathered.

The aircraft returned to La Guardia Airport and landed safely.

There were no reported injuries to the 34 passengers and 3 crew on board.

Repaired and returned to service.

circa 1958
Large registrations on the rear fuselage appeared after the use of small registrations on the tail were banned by the newly formed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Also by this time weather radar had been fitted with a change to the nose cone.

May 1960
Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd filed a foreclosure suit on the entire Viscount fleet of Capital Airlines as the overdue payments now totalled $34,000,000.

20 January 1961
Repossessed by Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd due to the financial debt owed.


Photo of Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd Viscount N7414

Country of Registration United States

January 1961 to January 1961

Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd

N7414 - c/n 112 - a V.745D series Viscount
United States registered

20 January 1961
Repossessed from Capital Airlines due to the financial debt owed and registered to Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd.

23 January 1961
Sold to Austrian Airlines (AUA).


Photo of Austrian Airlines (AUA) Viscount OE-LAN

Country of Registration Austria

January 1961 to April 1963

Austrian Airlines (AUA)

OE-LAN - c/n 112 - a V.745D series Viscount
Austria registered

23 January 1961
Purchased from Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd.

2 February 1961
Arrived at Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England via Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, Scotland.

Subsequently ferried to Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England for overhaul and repaint with Marshall's.

26 May 1961
First flight from Teversham Airport, Cambridge, England after overhaul and repaint in full Austrian Airlines (AUA) livery, named as 'Johannes Brahms', using callsign 'OZ1242'.

1 April 1963
Sold to Aloha Airlines.


Photo of Aloha Airlines Viscount N7414

Country of Registration United States

April 1963 to November 1971

Aloha Airlines

N7414 - c/n 112 - a V.745D series Viscount
United States registered

1 April 1963
Purchased from Austrian Airlines (AUA).

The aircraft would have been fitted with auxilliary fuel tanks in order for it to complete the long range sectors such as San Francisco to Honolulu (2,081 nautical miles).

Painted in the Aloha Airlines 'Blue and white' livery.
Aloha Airlines
'Blue' livery

circa 1967
Painted in the Aloha Airlines 'Blue and white' second livery to match the BAC One-Eleven fleet.

circa 1969
Repainted in the new orange and white 'flower' third livery to match the tail colours on their recently introduced Boeing 737 Funbirds.

January 1971
Withdrawn from service and stored at Honolulu Airport, Oahu, Hawaii, USA.

30 November 1971
Sold to Aeropesca Colombia.


Photo of Aeropesca Colombia Viscount HK-1320

Country of Registration Colombia

November 1971 to August 1981

Aeropesca Colombia

HK-1320 - c/n 112 - a V.745D series Viscount
Colombia registered

30 November 1971
Purchased from Aloha Airlines and named as 'Ciudad Leticia'.

It retained the Aloha 'flower' livery.

1973
Noted renamed as 'Ciudad de Popayan'.

4 February 1976
Made an emergency landing at Eldorado International Airport, Bogotá, Colombia after the starboard main undercarrige lower strut fell off shortly after takeoff which meant that the axle, brake assembly and both wheels went with it.

The aircraft returned to Bogota and landed on the starboard undercarriage leg stub which gouged into the runway surface.

The starboard propellers were curled resulting in shockload damage to the two Rolls-Royce Dart engines.

This had happened once before to Servicios Aereos Nacionales (SAN) Viscount N7428 (C/N 126) in October 1975.

Repaired and returned to service.

10 December 1977
Noted at Eldorado International Airport, Bogotá, Colombia with all titles blacked out but not the registration. Details please to information@vickersviscount.net

26 August 1981
Crashed into a jungle area on the slopes of Mount Santa Elena near Puente Quetame, Colombia at 15:45 local time and caught fire on a flight from Gustavo Artunduaga Paredes Airport, Florencia to Neiva, Colombia.

Loss of control in bad weather was considered to be the most likely cause.

27 August 1981
The burnt out wreckage was found by the rescue team.

Sadly all 6 crew and 44 passengers were killed.


Photo of BEA - British European Airways Viscount G-AOJC

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