
February 1960 to September 1960
Austrian Airlines (AUA)
OE-LAF - c/n 437 - a V.837 series Viscount
Austria registered
10 February 1960
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England as a Type 837.
It landed at Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for fitting out and test flying.
17 February 1960
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England carrying out a single ILS approach and overshoot.
18 February 1960
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.
25 February 1960
Departed from Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England to London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England during the delivery to Austrian Airlines (AUA) at Schwechat Airport, Vienna, Austria as their first Viscount but not yet named.
It was fitted with integral front 'airsteps'.
28 March 1960
Named as 'Joseph Haydn' in an official ceremony at Schwechat Airport, Vienna, Austria.
The name was painted on the forward cabin door.
26 September 1960
Crashed 11 kms west of Sheremetyevo Airport, Moscow, Soviet Union.
AUA flight 901 departed Schwechat Airport, Vienna, Austria on a service to Warsaw, Poland and Moscow, Soviet Union.
At 21:40 the aircraft was approaching runway 07 at Sheremetyevo Airport, Moscow, Soviet Union when it contacted trees and crashed 11 km short of the runway.
PROBABLE CAUSE: The investigations revealed that there were no technical deficiencies in the aircraft itself or an meteorological phenomenon involved in the accident. The Austrian observers participating in the investigation of the accident were of the opinion that the accident was related to altitude measurement, inasmuch as it was apparent from radio communications as well as from the examination of the wreckage that the crew believed that they were flying at the normal approach altitude.
The erroneous altitude measurement may be attributed to: a) a technical deficiency of either of the two altimeters.; b) the divergent settings of the altimeters; or c) omission of an altimeter reading or erroneous reading of altimeters. The internal mechanism of both altimeters was so heavily damaged that it could no longer be ascertained whether, at the time of the accident, the altimeters were functioning accurately. Both altimeters were set to the correct atmospheric pressure but their settings differed, namely the left altimeter was set at QFE 0990 mb and the right altimeter at 1013 mb, which in view of the prevailing atmospheric pressure conditions, could have corresponded both to QNH and to the standard pressure setting. Such divergent settings are at variance with the usual procedure of Austrian Airlines.
The reasons prompting the captain to depart from the usual practice could not be ascertained. It was not possible to reach a categorical conclusion as to which of the three causes were responsible for an approach below the minimum flying altitude.
5 of the 6 crew and 26 of the 31 passengers sadly died in the accident.
Written off as it was damaged beyond economic repair.
Total time 1,273 hours and 872 total landings.
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