December 1958 to January 1972
South African Airways (SAA)
ZS-CDW - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
South Africa registered
November 1956
Registered to South African Airways (SAA) / Suid Afrikaanse Lugdiens.
26 November 1958
First flight from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.
8 December 1958
Departed on delivery to South African Airways (SAA) named as 'Rooibok'.
Originally it had SAA titles in Afrikaans on the starboard side and English on the port side but this was later changed to various combinations.
11 December 1958
Arrived at Jan Smuts International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa.
18 December 1958
Entered SAA service.
from 1962
Painted in the new SAA 'orange tail' livery which was first introduced on the Boeing 707 in 1960.
January 1969
SAA changed its registration policy and was allocated registration blocks in the ZS-S** range.
Registration ZS-SBW was not taken up as the South African DCA would not allow SAA to change the registrations on its existing Viscount fleet.
This policy was later changed, but came too late for the Viscount fleet as it was nearly time for them to be disposed of.
30 September 1971
Withdrawn from SAA service and stored at Jan Smuts International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Total time 25,528 hours.
1 January 1972
Sold to British Midland Airways (BMA).
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January 1972 to February 1975
British Midland Airways (BMA)
G-AZLT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
November 1971
BMA Managing Director Michael Bishop discovered that the SAA Viscount fleet was for sale by reading an advertisement in a Flight International weekly magazine during a business trip to Tel Aviv, Israel.
He quickly travelled to Johannesburg with the intention of buying two of the aircraft but was dismayed to find out that SAA were only interested in selling the complete fleet of seven aircraft together with a spares package.
Mike discussed this situation with SAA and made an offer of £98,000 for the aircraft and £37,000 for the spares package.
To his surprise this offer was accepted. He subsequently purchased their Viscount simulator for a further £5,000.
December 1971
Chief Buyer George Morrell, Chief Inspector Tony Topps and Planning Manager Mike Baker travelled out to Johannesburg together with Air Registration Board representative Ray Atwood to finalise things and review the fleet.
4 January 1972
Registered to British Midland Airways (BMA).
10 January 1972
Rolled out at Jan Smuts International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa with the British registration applied to the basic South African Airways (SAA) livery minus titles and fin logo.
26 February 1972
Departed from Jan Smuts International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa on delivery to the UK in SAA livery with UK registration together with G-AZLS (C/N 348).
28 February 1972
Arrived at East Midlands Airport, Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England together with G-AZLS (C/N 348).
Re-painted in full British Midland Airways (BMA) livery.
10 April 1972
Inaugurated service from East Midlands Airport, Leicestershire, England to Birmingham International Airport, West Midlands, England, Brussels National Airport, Zaventum, Belgium and Rhein-Main Airport, Frankfurt, West Germany.
2 February 1975
Leased to Cyprus Airways in full livery.
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February 1975 to August 1975
Cyprus Airways Ltd
G-AZLT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
2 February 1975
Leased from British Midland Airways (BMA).
31 August 1975
Returned to British Midland Airways (BMA).
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August 1975 to March 1981
British Midland Airways (BMA)
G-AZLT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
Returned from
Cyprus Airways
31 August 1975
Returned from Cyprus Airways lease and initially operated on BMA serives in ex Cyprus Airways livery.
29 October 1978
Inaugurated Speke Airport, Liverpool, England to Aldergrove Airport, Belfast, Northern Ireland and Speke Airport, Liverpool, England to Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man services, replacing British Airways.
6 October 1980
Damaged on landing at Leeds / Bradford Airport, Yeadon, Yorkshire, England in heavy rain after aquaplaning. The pilot steered the aircraft off the runway to prevent an overrun and the port undercarriage collapsed causing wing, flap and propeller damage and shockload damage to the Rolls-Royce Dart engines.
13 February 1981
Returned by road to East Midlands Airport, Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England for assessment and repaired using replacement wings from Viscount G-BAPD (C/N 340).
30 March 1981
Re-registered G-BMAT.
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March 1981 to May 1986
British Midland Airways (BMA)
G-BMAT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
30 March 1981
Re-registered from G-AZLT as it was considered to be a hybrid aircraft by BMA after fitment of the wings from G-BAPD (C/N 340) and therefore deserved a fresh identity.
27 April 1981
First flight after the accident repairs.
29 April 1981
First service after the accident repairs.
7 May 1986
Sold to British Aerospace PLC (BAe).
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May 1986 to May 1986
British Aerospace PLC (BAe)
G-BMAT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
7 May 1986
Purchased from British Midland Airways (BMA).
7 May 1986
Immediately leased back to British Midland Airways (BMA).
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May 1986 to December 1986
British Midland Airways (BMA)
G-BMAT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
7 May 1986
Leased back from British Aerospace PLC (BAe).
5 December 1986
Final service from Aldergrove, Belfast, Northern Ireland to East Midlands Airport, Leicestershire, England.
10 December 1986
Returned to British Aerospace PLC (BAe).
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December 1986 to October 1987
British Aerospace PLC (BAe)
G-BMAT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
10 December 1986
Returned from British Midland Airways (BMA) lease.
10 December 1986
Ferried from East Midlands Airport, Leicestershire, England to Baginton Airport, Coventry, Warwickshire, England and stored.
October 1987
Sold by auction at Luton, Bedfordshire, England to STH Sales Ltd.
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October 1987 to February 1989
STH Sales Ltd
G-BMAT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
October 1987
Purchased from British Aerospace PLC (BAe) at an auction at Luton, Bedfordshire, England.
16 October 1987
Ferried from Baginton Airport, Coventry, Warwickshire, England to Westcountry Aircraft Servicing Ltd at Exeter Airport, Devon, England for assessment.
Engines and other parts transferred to G-BAPG (C/N 344).
1 December 1987
Registered to STH Sales Ltd.
STH stood for Sean T Hulley who was based at Southend and owned Baltic Airlines (UK) and Hot Air.
February 1988
Entered the Westcountry Aircraft Servicing Ltd hangar at Exeter Airport, Devon, England for a major overhaul.
10 February 1989
Re-registered as G-OHOT.
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February 1989 to March 1989
STH Sales Ltd
G-OHOT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
10 February 1989
Re-registered from G-BMAT.
STH stood for Sean T Hulley who owned Baltic Airlines (UK) and Hot Air.
8 March 1989
Leased to Baltic Airlines in full Hot Air livery.
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March 1989 to November 1989
Hot Air
G-OHOT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
8 March 1989
Transferred from STH Sales Ltd.
It remained registered to STH Sales Ltd.
Noted at Southend Airport, Rochford, Essex, England in Hot Air livery having the engines from G-BFZL (C/N 435) installed by British Air Ferries.
November 1989
Leased to British Air Ferries (BAF).
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November 1989 to April 1993
British Air Ferries (BAF)
G-OHOT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
November 1989
Leased from STH Sales Ltd after its return from Baltic Airlines (UK) operations and re-painted in full British Air Ferries (BAF) livery.
27 October 1990
Operated its last service from Collinstown Airport, Dublin, Ireland to Southend Airport, Rochford, Essex, England and placed into storage.
4 February 1992
Returned to service with British Air Ferries (BAF) in cargo configuration.
15 May 1992
Withdrawn from service and stored at Southend Airport, Rochford, Essex, England after positioning from Aldergrove Airport, Belfast, Northern Ireland as flight number BAF8489.
18 June 1992
Purchased from STH Sales Ltd.
1 April 1993
Transferred to British World Airlines (BWA) due to a corporate name change.
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April 1993 to February 1994
British World Airlines (BWA)
G-OHOT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
1 April 1993
Transferred from British Air Ferries (BAF) due to a corporate name change.
23 December 1993
Returned to service still painted in British Air Ferries (BAF) livery.
25 February 1994
Crashed at Drointon Wood near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England at 19:46 local time whilst en-route from Turnhouse Airport, Edinburgh, Scotland to Baginton Airport, Coventry, Warwickshire, England on cargo flight number BWL 4272.
The aircraft was en-route to Coventry in severe icing conditions when the No. 2 Dart RDa7 engine ran down and the propeller auto-feathered. The No. 3 engine also ran down but did not auto-feather. The crew, at that moment were descending from FL150, and were then cleared for an immediate descent to FL070 and then to FL050.
The crew elected to divert to Birmingham Airport since the two engines wouldn't restart. A while later they managed to restart the No. 2 engine, but then the No. 4 engine also ran down and again, did not auto-feather. Just 5 minutes away from Birmingham Airport the radio and intercom systems failed due to a loss of electrical power.
The Viscount struck trees on a down slope at Drointon Wood near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England and broke up.
Of the two crew on board the 32 year old Captain, Bo Winters-Myers sadly died in the crash but the 39 year old First Officer survived with serious injuries and was found still strapped in his seat within the broken off and inverted forward fuselage section.
The remains of the aircraft were transferred to the AAIB - Air Accidents Investigation Branch facility at Farnborough Airfield, Hampshire, England.
AAIB hangar at Farnborough,
Hampshire, England
CAUSAL FACTORS:
i) Multiple engine failures occurred as a result of flight in extreme icing conditions.
Ii) Incomplete performance of the emergency drills by the crew, as a result of not referring to the Emergency Checklist, prejudiced the chances of successful engine re-starts.
Iii) Crew actions for securing and re-starting the engines, which were not in accordance with the operator's procedures, limited the power available. The drag from two unfeathered propellers of the failed engines and the weight of the heavily iced airframe resulted in a loss of height and control before the chosen diversion airfield could be reached.
Iv) Poor Crew Resource Management reduced the potential for emergency planning, decision making and workload sharing. Consequently, the crew had no contingency plan for the avoidance of the forecast severe icing conditions, and also was unaware of the relative position of a closer diversion airfield which could have been chosen by making more effective use of air traffic services. The failed engines were flame-outs as a result of ice ingestion.
Further reading: - AAIB - Air Accidents Investigation Branch - Accident Report 3/1995 (go to website aaib.gov.uk)
Total time 50,995 hours.
7 July 1994
Registration cancelled as aircraft written off.
circa January 1996
Remains transferred to Hanningfield Metals for final processing.
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January 1996 to January 1998
Hanningfield Metals
G-OHOT - c/n 349 - a V.813 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered
circa January 1996
Remains transferred from the AAIB - Air Accidents Investigation Branch facility at Farnborough Airfield, Hampshire, England for final processing.
January 1997
Forward fuselage section noted still strapped to a flatbed trailer.
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