Heathrow Airport plane crash burst into flames killing six onboard after landing
A deadly crash at Heathrow Airport that saw a plane burst into flames tragically killed six people and eight horses, and injured a further 31 people as it was landing.
On July 3 1968, the ill-fated BKS Air Transport Flight C.6845, was landing at the London airport eight race horses owned by betting magnate William Hill.
Having earlier taken off from Deauville, France, three of the five caretakers for animal William Hill's prized possessions were tragically killed in an explosion on landing.
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Every member of the plane’s crew was also killed in the crash which injured a further 29 people.
The plane’s left wing dropped just as it was touching the concrete, leading the left wing tip and the left landing gear to touch the grass next to the runway.
As the pilot, 48-year-old Captain Ernest Arthur Hand, tried to increase the plane’s thrust to get it back in the air, the angle of the runway’s bank increased.
This threw the plane further off balance, a crash report that investigated the incident, which took place 55 years ago to the day, found.
As it veered further into chaos, it hit two parked planes and managed to somersault before sliding upside down to a nearby terminal building where it exploded.
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An investigation revealed that a dodgy operating rod for the left flap had failed, causing the plane to go off-kilter.
The report found that despite the pilot’s best efforts, it was “doubtful” that the accident could’ve been avoided.
Eerily, one of the planes that Flight C.6845 crashed into went on to be involved in the UK’s deadliest non-terrorism related crash, killing all 118 people onboard after it suffered a “deep stall” and just missed a busy main road in Surrey when it crashed.
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