Avro 685 York accident at Dakar, Senegal, 13 Apr 1947 (G-AHEZ)
On April 13, 1947, an Avro 685 York (registration G-AHEZ) operated by British South American Airways - BSAA was involved in an aviation accident near Dakar, Senegal during landing or approach. 6 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Regarding the flight plan, there was too great errors in the ETA and the endurance was inexact. Lack of decision on the part of the pilot who, after his second attempt to land, and in view of his insufficient petrol reserve, should have carried out the… This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 6 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Probable cause
Regarding the flight plan, there was too great errors in the ETA and the endurance was inexact. Lack of decision on the part of the pilot who, after his second attempt to land, and in view of his insufficient petrol reserve, should have carried out the diversionary plan. The lighting of the runways was inadequate: there were no approach lights and there are no wireless facilities for landing in bad visibility at Dakar-Yoff Airport. Contributory Causes: Difficulties in exchange of radio telephony communications between the control tower and the aircraft, Insufficient knowledge of the English language by the controllers in the tower, according to the Americans and British, As regards to the crew, there certainly appears to have been a slight nervousness during the attempts to land, The danger to passengers in the case of cabin fuselage below the wing in the event of a forced landing elsewhere than on a runway, Lack of knowledge of the alternate airfield of Thies by BSAA crews. Thies was given on the old general aeronautical maps but at the time of the accident, no schedule for this aerodrome has yet been published by the Aeronautical Information Section. This schedule was available following the publication of the final investigation report.
— NTSB Determination
Accident narrative
On final approach to Dakar-Yoff Airport, the captain decided to go around due to low visibility causes by poor weather conditions. A second and a third attempt to land were aborted few minutes later. During the fourth attempt, while short of fuel, the aircraft landed hard and the undercarriage were sheared off. The aircraft slid on its belly for several yards and came to rest, broken in two. Six passengers were killed while nine other occupants were injured.
Probable cause (official findings): Regarding the flight plan, there was too great errors in the ETA and the endurance was inexact. Lack of decision on the part of the pilot who, after his second attempt to land, and in view of his insufficient petrol reserve, should have carried out the diversionary plan. The lighting of the runways was inadequate: there were no approach lights and there are no wireless facilities for landing in bad visibility at Dakar-Yoff Airport. Contributory Causes: Difficulties in exchange of radio telephony communications between the control tower and the aircraft, Insufficient knowledge of the English language by the controllers in the tower, according to the Americans and British, As regards to the crew, there certainly appears to have been a slight nervousness during the attempts to land, The danger to passengers in the case of cabin fuselage below the wing in the event of a forced landing elsewhere than on a runway, Lack of knowledge of the alternate airfield of Thies by BSAA crews. Thies was given on the old general aeronautical maps but at the time of the accident, no schedule for this aerodrome has yet been published by the Aeronautical Information Section. This schedule was available following the publication of the final investigation report.