No fatalities

Nose gear collapse during landing at Gatwick Airport (G-ALZR)

London-Gatwick, United KingdomLanding (descent or approach)

On July 26, 1969, an Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador (registration G-ALZR) operated by BKS Air Transport was involved in an aviation accident near London-Gatwick, United Kingdom during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The nose landing gear failed upon contact with the runway during touchdown. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 3 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards
Aircraft registered G-ALZR
Aircraft registered G-ALZR. Photo: calflier001 / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

An aircraft experienced a nose gear failure upon touchdown at Gatwick Airport, resulting in the vessel sliding along the runway and sustaining heavy damage.

What happened

During the landing phase at Gatwick Airport, an aircraft experienced a structural failure of its forward landing gear immediately following touchdown. The collapse of the nose gear caused the plane to lose stability, leading it to slide for several dozen yards along the airfield surface before coming to a complete stop.

Despite the impact and the subsequent movement along the runway, all eight occupants on board were able to exit the aircraft without injury. While there were no fatalities or injuries reported among the crew and passengers, the aircraft sustained damage that was determined to be beyond repair.

Findings

An investigation into the incident concluded that the primary factor in the accident was the collapse of the nose gear during the landing sequence.

Probable cause

The nose landing gear failed upon contact with the runway during touchdown.