24 April 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 394

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 394
Misrair - Egyptian Airlines


Egypt flag Egypt

This V.739A series Viscount was built for
Misrair - Egyptian Airlines as SU-AKO

It first flew on Tuesday, 15 July 1958 at Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 506 engines.


During its life this aircraft was also owned and/or operated by
United Arab Airlines (UAA) and Air France


Photo of Viscount c/n 394
British Eagle International Airlines Ltd


England flag England

Its final owner/operator was
British Eagle International Airlines Ltd as G-ATFN.

Its fate:-
Crashed onto an autobahn near Langenbruck, north of Munich, West Germany 9 August 1968. All four crew members and all 44 passengers on board sadly died in the crash.


Operational record
Photo of Misrair - Egyptian Airlines Viscount SU-AKO

Country of Registration Egypt

July 1958 to August 1960

Misrair - Egyptian Airlines

SU-AKO - c/n 394 - a V.739A series Viscount
Egypt registered

15 July 1958
First flight from Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

27 July 1958
Delivered to Misrair - Egyptian Airlines as a Type 739A fitted with extended range 'slipper' fuel tanks.

23 January 1960
Noted at Mulhouse Airport, Basel, Alsace Region, France without the extended range 'slipper' fuel tanks. Details please to information@vickersviscount.net

16 June 1960
Inaugurated the Cairo International Airport, Egypt to London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England service via Ellinikon Airport, Athens, Greece, Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy and Cointrin Airport, Geneva, Switzerland.

August 1960
Transferred to United Arab Airlines (UAA) due to a corporate merger with Syrian Arab Airlines.


Photo of United Arab Airlines (UAA) Viscount SU-AKO

Country of Registration Egypt

August 1960 to June 1965

United Arab Airlines (UAA)

SU-AKO - c/n 394 - a V.739A series Viscount
Egypt registered

August 1960
Transferred from Misrair - Egyptian Airlines due to a operator name change when Misrair merged with Syrian Arab Airlines.

1961
Syrian Arab Airlines left the merger to re-form its own state run airline again.

23 June 1965
Sold to British Eagle International Airlines Ltd.


Photo of British Eagle International Airlines Ltd Viscount G-ATFN

Country of Registration United Kingdom

June 1965 to March 1968

British Eagle International Airlines Ltd

G-ATFN - c/n 394 - a V.739A series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

23 June 1965
Purchased from United Arab Airlines (UAA).

30 September 1965
Delivered to British Eagle International Airlines.

31 January 1966
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion. The passengers were transferred to London by coach.

circa September 1966
Overhauled at Speke Airport, Liverpool, England including fitment of Rolls-Royce Dart RDa6 Mark 510 engines in place of the RDa3 Mark 506 engines.

25 October 1966
UK Certificate of Airworthiness issued.

circa November 1966
Entered service named as 'City of Truro'.

9 December 1967
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a Heathrow Airport weather diversion. The passengers were transferred to London by coach.

20 March 1968
Leased to Air France to replace G-ATDU (C/N 87) which had returned to the UK for maintenance.


Photo of Air France Viscount G-ATFN

Country of Registration United Kingdom

March 1968 to June 1968

Air France

G-ATFN - c/n 394 - a V.739A series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

20 March 1968
Leased from British Eagle International Airlines Ltd to replace G-ATDU (C/N 87) which had returned to the UK for maintenance.

June 1968
Returned to British Eagle International Airlines Ltd.


Photo of British Eagle International Airlines Ltd Viscount G-ATFN

Country of Registration United Kingdom

June 1968 to August 1968

British Eagle International Airlines Ltd

G-ATFN - c/n 394 - a V.739A series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

June 1968
Returned from Air France lease.

9 August 1968
Crashed onto an autobahn near Langenbruck, north of Munich, West Germany. Captain John Dawdy, 3 other crew members and all 44 passengers on board sadly died in the crash.

Total time 18,6560 hours and 10,781 total landings.

The flight had departed from Heathrow Airport, London, England at 11:37 local time on a scheduled service to Kranebitten Airport, Innsbruck, Austria and had just passed the 'Mike' NDB near Munich, West Germany at FL210 (21,000 feet). Shortly after this Munich air traffic control cleared the aircraft to descend to FL 120 (12,000 feet) but there was no response from the cockpit crew. The aircraft crashed onto the Nüremberg to Munich autobahn near Langenbruck in a slightly nose down attitude with the wings level.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The accident is attributable to the fact that the aircraft's electrical power supply failed in cruising flight - possibly without the generator warning lights illuminating or illuminating distinctly, which meant that during the subsequent descent, which had to be carried out by instruments only because of the weather, the vital instruments for indicating the flight attitude showed increasingly incorrect readings and failed completely after the gyros had toppled over.

Under these IFR conditions it was unavoidable for the aircraft to enter into an uncontrolled flight attitude.

It was not possible to determine with certainty the cause of the failure of the electrical system. It may be assumed, however, that a fault occurred in the DC generator control circuit. (Ref UK Accident Report HMSO CAP 354)

9 August 1968
Registration cancelled as aircraft destroyed.

As a result of this accident all UK registered Viscounts were fitted with a standby battery powered artificial horizon on a mandatory basis.

9 and 10 August 1968
BRITISH PATHE FILM ARCHIVE

British Eagle International Airlines Ltd Viscount c/n 394 G-ATFN crashed on to an autobahn near Langenbruck, north of Munich, West Germany.

British Pathe news item


WARNING:
The material in this second film contains some shocking unissued and unused images taken 9 & 10 August 1968.

Unissued and unused material


FURTHER READING - Air Disaster by Macarthur Job



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.


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