26 April 2024
This website is regularly archived by the British Library who selectively archive websites with research values that are representative of British social history and cultural heritage.

Museum search


Viscount Survivors

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.

Viscount history

Letter from HRH Prince Philip

See and hear a Viscount

Newsletters

Flight Magazine Reports

Aircraft operational
records and photos

Viscount illustrations
by David Carter


Discover the history of the Viscount with film, video, contemporary reports from the pages of Flight Magazine, our newsletters, and aircraft operational records and photos from our database.


Share your photos and stories

Live Magazine


Our 'Live Magazine' is used by members and non-members to share their Viscount photos and stories with fellow enthusiasts located throughout the world in real time.

You are able to send in your photos, stories and comments by Facebook, Twitter or email and we will post them for all to enjoy.

Contact us

information@VickersViscount.net



Join the Vickers Viscount Network
for FREE

Membership details


Featured pages

Our website contains over 20,000 pages of photos and information that can all be accessed from the menu at the top of every page. Here are a few to get you started.


In the Beginning

The Turboprop World-Beater

Sir George Edwards

The Rolls-Royce Dart

c/n 1 G-AHRF V.630
The Prototype Viscount

c/n 2 VX217 V.663
The Tay powered Viscount

c/n 3 G-AMAV V.700
The V.700 series prototype

c/n 4 G-ALWE V.701
The first BEA Viscount

c/n 5 G-ALWF V.701
The oldest surviving Viscount

c/n 8 F-BGNK V.708
The first Air France Viscount

c/n 30 EI-AFV V.707
The first Aer Lingus Viscount

c/n 40 CF-TGI V.724
The first TCA Viscount

c/n 44 VH-TVA V.720
The first TAA Viscount

c/n 67 YI-ACK V.735
The first Iraqi Airways Viscount

c/n 70 CF-GXK V.737
The first Canadian DoT Viscount

c/n 71 VP-TBK V.702
The first BOAC Associated
Companies Viscount

c/n 74 G-ANRR V.732
The first Hunting-Clan Viscount

c/n 77 LN-FOF V.736
The first Fred Olsen Viscount

c/n 79 IU-683 V.723
The first Indian Air Force Viscount

c/n 88 N7402 V.744
The first Capital Airlines Viscount

c/n 97 VH-BAT V.747
The first Butler Air
Transport Viscount


This website does not use cookies or capture your details


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

Viscount c/n 135

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 135
Capital Airlines (USA)


United States flag United States

This V.745D series Viscount was built for
Capital Airlines (USA) as N7437

It first flew on Friday, 24 August 1956 at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 510 engines.

Photo of Viscount c/n 135
Capital Airlines (USA)


United States flag United States

Its final owner/operator was
Capital Airlines (USA) as N7437.

Its fate:-
Flight 67 crashed at Freeland, Michigan, USA on approach to Tri-City Airport, Saginaw, Michigan, USA 6 April 1958. Control of the aircraft was lost during the final approach with poor visibility and in icing conditions. This was the first fatal accident to a Capital Viscount which goes back to June 1955 when the first one was delivered.


Operational record
Photo of Capital Airlines (USA) Viscount N7437

Country of Registration United States

August 1956 to April 1958

Capital Airlines (USA)

N7437 - c/n 135 - a V.745D series Viscount
United States registered

December 1954
An order for an additional 20 Type 745D aircraft was placed by Capital Airlines.

This was the 33rd Viscount ordered 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. 139 - the 139th production Type 700 series Viscount built,
was the 97th Viscount fuselage assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England,
and the 98th Viscount assembled at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

Production Order No. F33/745. Sales Order No. F33/68B. Stock Order No. F33/27B.

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.

7 April 1956
Fuselage assembly commenced at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

20 May 1956
Fuselage to Erecting Shop 'E' at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

24 August 1956
First flight from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

31 August 1956
Delivered to Capital Airlines with fleet number '356' fitted with integral front 'airsteps'.

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 resulting in a change to the nose cone.

6 April 1958
Flight 67 crashed at Freeland, Michigan, USA at 23:19 local time on a service from Bishop Airport, Flint, Michigan, USA. This was a multi-stop service from New York to Chicago.

Control of the aircraft was lost during the final approach to Tri-City Airport, Saginaw, Michigan, USA with poor visibility and in icing conditions. It entered a stall followed by an over the top spin as full flap was selected.

It crashed inverted with the cockpit and forward fuselage upper section impacting first. The only recognisable part of the aircraft remaining after the accident was the tail section.

All 44 passengers and 3 crew on board were sadly killed.

The subsequent investigation by the US Bureau of Safety assisted by Fred Jones from the UK Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) based then at Farnborough concluded that an undetected build up of ice on the horizontal stabilisers together with a low airspeed resulted in a loss of pitch control.

The aircraft had been flying for a period with the engines in the flight idle position which meant that the hot exhaust gas bleed from the inboard Rolls-Royce Dart engines would have less effect at the furthest point of travel, which was the horizontal stabilisers.

Although not supported by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) an unofficial directive amongst Capital pilots instructed the use of the inner engines during any manouvering, with the outboard engines kept at flight idle. There were no more accidents relating to horizontal stabiliser icing within the Capital Viscount fleet and subsequently the United Air Lines Viscount fleet.

Continental Airlines sadly suffered an icing related crash to N242V (C/N 356) under similar circumstances, so a more official stance by the CAB to all Viscount operators about how to operate in icing conditions at flight idle may well have prevented this accident.

The only recognisable part of the aircraft remaining after the accident was the tail section.
Only the tail was recognisable

This was the first fatal accident to a Capital Viscount which goes back to June 1955 when the first one was delivered.

Total time 4,776 hours and 3,500 total landings.

FURTHER READING: - Echoes of Flight 67 - The Rest of the Story by William D Reid was published in 1999. ISBN 10 0967791103


Photo of BEA - British European Airways Viscount G-AOJC

The Vickers Viscount Network is always interested to hear from anyone who has information or photographs to help complete the story of the Viscount. If you can help please contact us at
Information@VickersViscount.net.


Click here for more details about the Vickers Viscount Network

This website has been designed, built and is maintained by Geoff Blampied, Norwich, Norfolk, England.