1954 Swissair Convair CV-240 crash

1954 Swissair Convair CV-240 crash

Swissair Convair CV-240 HB-IRW at Manchester Airport on 13 June 1954, six days before it crashed off Folkestone.
Accident summary
Date	19 June 1954
Summary	Fuel exhaustion (pilot error)
Site	English Channel, off Folkestone, Kent
Passengers	5
Crew	4
Fatalities	3
Injuries (non-fatal)	6
Survivors	6
Aircraft type	Convair CV-240
Aircraft name	Ticino
Operator	Swissair
Registration	HB-IRW
Flight origin	Cointrin Airport, Geneva, Switzerland.
Destination	Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom.

The 1954 Swissair Convair CV-240 crash occurred on 19 June 1954 when a Swissair Convair CV-240 ditched in the English Channel off Folkestone, Kent having run out of fuel. Although all on board survived the ditching of the aircraft, three people drowned, as they could not swim and there were no lifejackets carried on board the aircraft. At the time of the accident, these were not required to be carried on flights where the time over water was less than 30 minutes flying time.

The accident aircraft was Convair CV-240 HB-IRW, c/n 61. The aircraft had first flown in 1948. Named Ticino, the aircraft had entered service with KLM and was sold to Swissair on 28 November 1953 for CHF 2,270,000.

The accident flight was a scheduled international passenger flight from Cointrin Airport, Geneva, Switzerland to Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom. Prior to performing the accident flight, the aircraft had operated a flight from London to Geneva. Whilst crossing the English Channel at an altitude of 12,000 feet (3,700 m), the pilot noticed that the gauges were indicating low quantities of fuel. The port engine then stopped and the propeller was feathered. The pilot initiated a diversion to RAF Manston. The starboard engine then stopped too. A successful ditching was made 1 ¹⁄₂ miles (2.4 km) off Folkestone, Kent at about 11 pm.

The crash was heard by a crane driver at Folkestone Harbour, who reported the fact to the berthing master. Four British Railways staff rowed a boat out to the scene of the accident, which they reached in about 30 minutes. Five survivors were picked up and transferred to the Southern Queen, which had gone to assist. Lifeboats from Dover and Dungeness and helicopters from RAF Manston and HMS Albion also searched for survivors. A sixth survivor was rescued by Southern Queen, with the other five being transferred to her. They were landed in Folkestone and taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital. Three of the passengers survived the ditching, but later drowned.