British European Airways Flight 706
British European Airways Flight 706 (BE706/BEA706) was a scheduled international passenger flight from United Kingdom to Salzburg, Austria. On 2 October 1971, whilst en route at 19,000 feet (5,791 m), the Vickers Vanguard suffered a failure with its rear cabin pressure bulkhead. The resulting depressurisation of the tail section caused the surfaces of the tailplanes to separate. The aircraft entered an uncontrollable dive and crashed near Aarsele, Belgium, killing all 63 passengers and crew on impact. A piece of debris from the aircraft struck a passing car, causing minor injuries to one of its occupants.
G-APEC, the aircraft involved in the accident, a few weeks prior | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 October 1971 |
| Summary | Explosive decompression, leading to structural failure and loss of control |
| Site | Aarsele, Belgium |
| Total fatalities | 63 (on the aircraft) |
| Total injuries | 1 (on the ground) |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Vickers Vanguard |
| Operator | British European Airways |
| Registration | G-APEC |
| Flight origin | Heathrow Airport, London, UK |
| Destination | Salzburg Airport, Austria |
| Occupants | 63 |
| Passengers | 55 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 63 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground injuries | 1 |
United Kingdom AAIB concluded that the failure of the rear pressure bulkhead had been caused by undetected corrosion located at the rear of the aircraft. The corrosion couldn't be noticed by crew due to the inspection technique that had been applied by BEA. Numerous pressurization cycles caused the crack to grow, weakening the rear pressure bulkhead until the structure was unable to withstand further repeated stress.