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~~Flying is a lot safer than it used to be - back when only the airports in the heavily populated parts of the first world had tarmaced runways, let alone landing aids, and you were likely to attempt your journey in a piston-liner or early jet with relatively marginal performance and safety aids. Back then of course range requirements and lower traffic loads frequently necessitated multi-stop trips ramping up the danger with every landing and take-off.
Since I started writing a short history of each of my models I have been amazed by the variety of ways that aircraft have come to a sticky ending. To that end I've collated together some data to give a representative sample of safety in a bygone time. I'm not sure it says much, but I found it interesting and thought I'd share.
Taking the 654 aircraft in my collection that were built prior to 1990 - 63 have been written off before their service was done. Of these only 17 were written off operating with their initial or primary operator whilst 46 passed into history whilst operating with subsequent (often Third World) airlines. The latter were often written off in the 1990 or 2000s, but almost always operating in a relatively unsophistocated aviation environment like Africa, often with airline of dubious repute!
So that is only 9.6% of my classic collection that ended their service prematurely. That seems actually surprisingly good to me though perhaps model makers avoid aircraft that crashed during the stage of their career highlighted by the model?
The methods of destruction are varied but fall into twelve rough categories and highlight the obvious - that approach and landing is overwhelmingly the most dangerous phase of a flight. The breakdown is thus:
34 LANDING
9 TAKE-OFF
6 CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain)
3 WAR
3 FIRE
2 COLLISION
2 UNKNOWN
1 each BOMB / SEA / STORM / SUICIDE
Here's a quick look at the aircraft involved (except those w/o in landing and takeoffs) and their fates:
SUICIDE
Pacific Air Lines F-27A N2770R
The crash in May 1964 was likely the first instance in the United States of an airliner's pilots being shot by a passenger as part of a mass murder/suicide; Francisco Paula Gonzales, 27, shot both the pilot and co-pilot before turning the gun on himself, causing the plane to crash and killing all 44 aboard.
Pacific Air Lines Fairchild F-27 by rstretton, on Flickr
SEA
Delta C&S CV-440 N4809C (Private)
By 1978 she was with Charlie Inc of Florida but was sadly written off on 14th August 1978 when she crashed into the sea near South Caicos.
Delta C&S Air Lines by rstretton, on Flickr
STORM
Quebecair F-27 CF-QBA (American Aviation Enterprises)
She was damaged beyond repair on 24th August 1992 at Miami due to a Hurricane.
Quebecair Fairchild F-27A by rstretton, on Flickr
BOMB
Eastern Air Lines L-188 N5531
A radical left-wing group suggested that terrorist action should be undertaken to mark the US Bicentennial and one person acted upon their instructions planting a bomb in the right wheel well of the aircraft at Boston on 2nd July 1976. The plane was written off on the ground when the bomb exploded.
Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-188 Electra by rstretton, on Flickr
COLLISION
AOA B-377 N6128A (Aero Spacelines)
Sold to Aero Spacelines in 1963 she was damaged beyond repair in a collision with N402Q.
American Overseas (AOA) B-377 Stratocruiser by rstretton, on Flickr
BKS HS-748 G-ARRW (Necon Air)
Exported to Nepal in 1992, as 9N-ACM, for Necon Air. She was written off in November 1997 after a collision with another aircraft at Pokhara.
BKS HS-748 by rstretton, on Flickr
FIRE
Alaska Airlines B727-090QC N766AS
N766AS flew with Alaska for her whole career which ended rather ignominiously in 1987 when she was destroyed by fire. The mechanic in charge of taxiing aircraft allowed an avionics technician to sit in left seat which deactivated brake pressurization system. Aircraft hit a passenger jet-way and caught fire with 0 fatalities.
Alaska Airlines Boeing 727-100 by rstretton, on Flickr
Seaboard World B707-345C N7322S (Varig)
Sold on after only a year they joined Varig – N7322S becoming PP-VJZ. Sadly she was written off in July 1973 at Paris when an on-board fire caused an emergency landing.
Seaboard World Boeing 707-320C by rstretton, on Flickr
TAAG B707-3347C D2-TOM
An electrical fire in the cargo compartment wrote her off in 1988 at Luanda.
TAAG Boeing 707-320C by rstretton, on Flickr
WAR
Braniff International B707-327C N7100 (Trans Mediterranean)
Sold to Lebanon's TMA the aircraft was unfortunately written off on 7th July 1981, after sustaining extensive damage from Israeli shelling.
Braniff International Boeing 707-320 by rstretton, on Flickr
Cyprus Airways Trident 2E 5B-DAB
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 caught all 5 Cypriot Tridents on the ground at Nicosia. One Trident was destroyed whilst 5B-DAB was hit by small arms fire and could not be rescued. She remains parked at the abandoned Nicosia airport to this day, slowly decaying. Cyprus Airways itself was able to restart operations in 1975 from a new strip at Larnaca.
Cyprus Airways Trident 2 by rstretton, on Flickr
Nordair L-1049H CF-NAK (Canairelief Air)
All four of Nordair's Connies were provided to Canairelief Air for humanitarian use in the Biafran airlift. NAK was one of two written off being destroyed by Nigerian Air Force bombing at Uli airstrip on the 17th December 1969.
NORDAIR Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation by rstretton, on Flickr
CFIT
Air West B727-193 N2969G (Alaska Airlines)
Hughes Airwest leased her to Alaska in September 1970 and in their service she was written off on 04/09/71 when she crashed near Teardrop Lake in Alaska 32km northwest of Juneau.
Air West Boeing 727 by rstretton, on Flickr
Alaska Airlines DC-3 NC91008
On a positioning flight on 8th August 1954 the aircraft was lost when it struck a mountain 40km northwest of McGrath killing the two pilots.
Alaska Airlines DC-3 by rstretton, on Flickr
BOAC Comet 4 G-APDN (Dan Air)
Sold to Dan air in late 1968 she was lost in a crash near Barcelona on the 3rd July 1970 killing all 112 onboard.
BOAC Comet 4 by rstretton, on Flickr
Mohawk Airlines FH-227B N7808M (TABA)
Her last operator was TABA of Brasil who bought her in 1982 and operated her as PT-LCS until 25th January 1993 when she crashed in the Jungle during a night time cargo flight killing the crew of three.
Mohawk Airlines FH-227 by rstretton, on Flickr
Northeast Airlines Viscount 798 N6598C (Aero Eslava)
Her last operator was Aero Eslava as XA-SCM and she crashed in July 1992 near Mexico City in mountainous terrain.
Northeast Airlines Vickers Viscount by rstretton, on Flickr
United Airlines DC-8F-54 N8047U
She was lost after just over eleven years of service on 18th December 1977 when she crashed into high terrain, whilst operating flight 2860, 25 miles northeast of Salt Lake City airport when in a holding pattern.
United Airlines DC-8F-54 by rstretton, on Flickr
Since I started writing a short history of each of my models I have been amazed by the variety of ways that aircraft have come to a sticky ending. To that end I've collated together some data to give a representative sample of safety in a bygone time. I'm not sure it says much, but I found it interesting and thought I'd share.
Taking the 654 aircraft in my collection that were built prior to 1990 - 63 have been written off before their service was done. Of these only 17 were written off operating with their initial or primary operator whilst 46 passed into history whilst operating with subsequent (often Third World) airlines. The latter were often written off in the 1990 or 2000s, but almost always operating in a relatively unsophistocated aviation environment like Africa, often with airline of dubious repute!
So that is only 9.6% of my classic collection that ended their service prematurely. That seems actually surprisingly good to me though perhaps model makers avoid aircraft that crashed during the stage of their career highlighted by the model?
The methods of destruction are varied but fall into twelve rough categories and highlight the obvious - that approach and landing is overwhelmingly the most dangerous phase of a flight. The breakdown is thus:
34 LANDING
9 TAKE-OFF
6 CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain)
3 WAR
3 FIRE
2 COLLISION
2 UNKNOWN
1 each BOMB / SEA / STORM / SUICIDE
Here's a quick look at the aircraft involved (except those w/o in landing and takeoffs) and their fates:
SUICIDE
Pacific Air Lines F-27A N2770R
The crash in May 1964 was likely the first instance in the United States of an airliner's pilots being shot by a passenger as part of a mass murder/suicide; Francisco Paula Gonzales, 27, shot both the pilot and co-pilot before turning the gun on himself, causing the plane to crash and killing all 44 aboard.
Pacific Air Lines Fairchild F-27 by rstretton, on FlickrSEA
Delta C&S CV-440 N4809C (Private)
By 1978 she was with Charlie Inc of Florida but was sadly written off on 14th August 1978 when she crashed into the sea near South Caicos.
Delta C&S Air Lines by rstretton, on FlickrSTORM
Quebecair F-27 CF-QBA (American Aviation Enterprises)
She was damaged beyond repair on 24th August 1992 at Miami due to a Hurricane.
Quebecair Fairchild F-27A by rstretton, on FlickrBOMB
Eastern Air Lines L-188 N5531
A radical left-wing group suggested that terrorist action should be undertaken to mark the US Bicentennial and one person acted upon their instructions planting a bomb in the right wheel well of the aircraft at Boston on 2nd July 1976. The plane was written off on the ground when the bomb exploded.
Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-188 Electra by rstretton, on FlickrCOLLISION
AOA B-377 N6128A (Aero Spacelines)
Sold to Aero Spacelines in 1963 she was damaged beyond repair in a collision with N402Q.
American Overseas (AOA) B-377 Stratocruiser by rstretton, on FlickrBKS HS-748 G-ARRW (Necon Air)
Exported to Nepal in 1992, as 9N-ACM, for Necon Air. She was written off in November 1997 after a collision with another aircraft at Pokhara.
BKS HS-748 by rstretton, on FlickrFIRE
Alaska Airlines B727-090QC N766AS
N766AS flew with Alaska for her whole career which ended rather ignominiously in 1987 when she was destroyed by fire. The mechanic in charge of taxiing aircraft allowed an avionics technician to sit in left seat which deactivated brake pressurization system. Aircraft hit a passenger jet-way and caught fire with 0 fatalities.
Alaska Airlines Boeing 727-100 by rstretton, on FlickrSeaboard World B707-345C N7322S (Varig)
Sold on after only a year they joined Varig – N7322S becoming PP-VJZ. Sadly she was written off in July 1973 at Paris when an on-board fire caused an emergency landing.
Seaboard World Boeing 707-320C by rstretton, on FlickrTAAG B707-3347C D2-TOM
An electrical fire in the cargo compartment wrote her off in 1988 at Luanda.
TAAG Boeing 707-320C by rstretton, on FlickrWAR
Braniff International B707-327C N7100 (Trans Mediterranean)
Sold to Lebanon's TMA the aircraft was unfortunately written off on 7th July 1981, after sustaining extensive damage from Israeli shelling.
Braniff International Boeing 707-320 by rstretton, on FlickrCyprus Airways Trident 2E 5B-DAB
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 caught all 5 Cypriot Tridents on the ground at Nicosia. One Trident was destroyed whilst 5B-DAB was hit by small arms fire and could not be rescued. She remains parked at the abandoned Nicosia airport to this day, slowly decaying. Cyprus Airways itself was able to restart operations in 1975 from a new strip at Larnaca.
Cyprus Airways Trident 2 by rstretton, on FlickrNordair L-1049H CF-NAK (Canairelief Air)
All four of Nordair's Connies were provided to Canairelief Air for humanitarian use in the Biafran airlift. NAK was one of two written off being destroyed by Nigerian Air Force bombing at Uli airstrip on the 17th December 1969.
NORDAIR Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation by rstretton, on FlickrCFIT
Air West B727-193 N2969G (Alaska Airlines)
Hughes Airwest leased her to Alaska in September 1970 and in their service she was written off on 04/09/71 when she crashed near Teardrop Lake in Alaska 32km northwest of Juneau.
Air West Boeing 727 by rstretton, on FlickrAlaska Airlines DC-3 NC91008
On a positioning flight on 8th August 1954 the aircraft was lost when it struck a mountain 40km northwest of McGrath killing the two pilots.
Alaska Airlines DC-3 by rstretton, on FlickrBOAC Comet 4 G-APDN (Dan Air)
Sold to Dan air in late 1968 she was lost in a crash near Barcelona on the 3rd July 1970 killing all 112 onboard.
BOAC Comet 4 by rstretton, on FlickrMohawk Airlines FH-227B N7808M (TABA)
Her last operator was TABA of Brasil who bought her in 1982 and operated her as PT-LCS until 25th January 1993 when she crashed in the Jungle during a night time cargo flight killing the crew of three.
Mohawk Airlines FH-227 by rstretton, on FlickrNortheast Airlines Viscount 798 N6598C (Aero Eslava)
Her last operator was Aero Eslava as XA-SCM and she crashed in July 1992 near Mexico City in mountainous terrain.
Northeast Airlines Vickers Viscount by rstretton, on FlickrUnited Airlines DC-8F-54 N8047U
She was lost after just over eleven years of service on 18th December 1977 when she crashed into high terrain, whilst operating flight 2860, 25 miles northeast of Salt Lake City airport when in a holding pattern.
United Airlines DC-8F-54 by rstretton, on Flickr
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