Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701
Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 was the flight involved in a fatal air accident on 5 January 1969, when a Boeing 727 with 62 people on board crashed into a house on its approach to London Gatwick Airport in heavy fog. Due to pilot error the flaps were not extended to maintain flight at final approach speed.
An Ariana Afghan Airlines Boeing 727, similar to the aircraft involved | |
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 January 1969 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain in low visibility |
| Site | Fernhill Lane, Fernhill, near London Gatwick Airport, Horley, Surrey, England 51.1548°N 0.1422°W |
| Total fatalities | 50 (2 on ground) |
| Total injuries | 15 (1 on ground) |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727-013C |
| Operator | Ariana Afghan Airlines |
| Registration | YA-FAR |
| Flight origin | Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan |
| 1st stopover | Kandahar International Airport, Afghanistan |
| 2nd stopover | Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Turkey |
| Last stopover | Frankfurt Airport, Germany |
| Destination | London Gatwick Airport, England |
| Passengers | 54 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 48 |
| Injuries | 14 |
| Survivors | 14 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 2 |
| Ground injuries | 1 |
At 0135 on a Sunday morning on which the Gatwick area was affected by patches of dense freezing fog, Boeing 727 registration number YA-FAR (the only such aircraft in the company's fleet) descended below its correct glide slope as it approached the airport from the east. As it passed over the hamlet of Fernhill on the Surrey/Sussex border, it hit trees and roofs, began to roll and crashed into a field south of Fernhill Lane, 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) short of the runway. It collided with a large detached house, demolished it and caught fire.
Forty-eight passengers and crew died, and two adult occupants of the house were killed when it was destroyed by the impact. A baby in the house survived with minor injuries. The captain, first officer, flight engineer and eleven passengers also survived.