British European Airways Flight 548
The flight deck of a BEA Trident.
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 June 1972 |
| Summary | Deep stall, pilot error |
| Site | Staines-upon-Thames, United Kingdom |
| Passengers | 112 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 118 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Hawker Siddeley Trident 1C |
| Operator | British European Airways |
| Registration | G-ARPI |
| Flight origin | London Heathrow Airport |
| Destination | Brussels Airport |
British European Airways Flight 548 was a scheduled passenger flight from London Heathrow to Brussels that on 18 June 1972 crashed near the town of Staines, England, soon after take-off, killing all 118 people on board. The accident became known as the Staines air disaster and, as of 2016[update], remained the deadliest air accident (as opposed to a terrorist incident) to take place in the United Kingdom and it marks as the highest death toll involving a Hawker Siddeley Trident aircraft.
The aircraft involved, a Hawker Siddeley Trident, suffered a deep stall in the third minute of its flight and crashed to the ground, narrowly missing a busy main road. The ensuing inquest principally blamed the captain for failing to maintain airspeed and configure the high-lift devices correctly. It also cited the captain's heart condition and the limited experience of the co-pilot, while noting an unspecified "technical problem" that the crew apparently resolved while still on the runway.
The crash took place against the background of a pilots' strike that had caused bad feelings between crew members. The strike had also disrupted services, causing Flight 548 to be loaded with the maximum weight allowable. Recommendations from the inquiry led to the mandatory installation of cockpit voice recorders in British-registered airliners. Another recommendation was for greater caution before allowing off-duty crew members to occupy flight deck seats. Two of the pilots' unions protested at the conduct of the inquiry, which was likened to a "lawyers' picnic".
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) had declared Monday 19 June 1972 (the day after the accident) as a worldwide protest strike against aircraft hijacking which had become commonplace in the early 1970s. Support was expected, but the British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA) organised a postal ballot to ask members at BEA whether they wanted to strike. Because of the impending strike, travellers had amended their plans to avoid disruption, and as a result flight BE 548 was full, despite Sunday being traditionally a day of light travel.
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