1967 Nicosia Globe Air Bristol Britannia crash

(Redirected from 1967 Nicosia Britannia disaster) 1967 aviation accident

1967 Nicosia Globe Air Bristol Britannia crash
Accident
The aircraft involved in the accident, seen here at Schiphol Airport in 1965
Date	20 April 1967
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT)
Site	3.5 km south of Nicosia Airport
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Bristol Britannia 313
Operator	Globe Air
Registration	HB-ITB
Flight origin	Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok
1st stopover	Colombo International Airport
2nd stopover	Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Bombay-Santa Cruz Airport), Mumbai, India
3rd stopover	Cairo International Airport diverted to Nicosia International Airport
Destination	Basel International Airport, Basel, Switzerland
Occupants	130
Passengers	120
Crew	10
Fatalities	126
Injuries	3
Survivors	4

On 20 April, 1967, a Bristol Britannia aircraft of the Swiss airline Globe Air flew into the ground 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) south of Nicosia Airport, in Cyprus killing 126 of the 130 passengers and crew onboard.

Accident

The Britannia was operating a charter flight bringing tourists from Bangkok in Thailand to Basel in Switzerland with stopovers in Colombo, Bombay, and Cairo. The flight stopped at Colombo in Sri Lanka and then Bombay in India with the next stop due to be Cairo. The crew diverted the flight to Nicosia due to bad weather at Cairo. The aircraft was on the third attempt to land on Runway 32 in a violent thunderstorm when it flew into a hill near the village of Lakatamia and burst into flames.

At the time of the crash, both pilots had exceeded their authorized duty time by three hours. The flight's first officer had less than 50 hours flying time in Britannia aircraft.

Two German (Christa Blümel and Peter Femfert) and two Swiss (Verena Gysin and Nicolas Pulver) passengers survived; three of them were seriously injured and were treated at a United Nations field hospital near Nicosia, the fourth, Nicolas Pulver, was reported to be unhurt.

Legacy

The crash culminated in Globe Air's bankruptcy and the sale of paintings that led to the 1967 Basel Picasso paintings purchase referendum.

References

^ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
^ "Britannia Crash Kills 126 – Cyprus storm disaster". The Times. No. 56921. London. 21 April 1967. col D, p. 4.
"Man Unscathed in Cyprus Plane Crash; 126 Killed". The Washington Observer (Pennsylvania) (via Google News). No. 23995. AP. 21 April 1967. p. F5.
Gero, David (1996). Aviation Disasters Second Edition. Patrick Stephens Limited. p. 72.
Hamilton, Thomas J. (December 18, 1967). "Citizens of Basel Vote to Buy Two Early Picassos; Museum Wages Fight Chemical Industry Helps". The New York Times.

35°06′30″N 33°17′14″E / 35.10833°N 33.28722°E / 35.10833; 33.28722

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1967 (1967)
Jan 14 Aeroflot Flight 5003Feb 16 Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 708Feb 28 Philippine Air Lines Flight 345Mar 5 Lake Central Airlines Flight 527Mar 5 Varig Flight 837Mar 9 TWA Flight 553Mar 10 West Coast Airlines Flight 720Mar 13 South African Airways Flight 406Mar 30 Delta Air Lines Flight 9877Apr 11 Air Algérie DC-4 crashApr 20 Nicosia Globe Air Bristol Britannia crashJun 3 Air Ferry DC-4 accidentJun 4 Stockport air disasterJun 23 Mohawk Airlines Flight 40Jun 30 Thai Airways International Flight 601Jul 6 Philippine Air Lines Flight 385Jul 19 Piedmont Airlines Flight 22Aug 27 Lake Erie skydiving disasterSep 5 ČSA Flight 523Oct 12 Cyprus Airways Flight 284Nov 4 Iberia Flight 062Nov 6 TWA Flight 159Nov 15 X-15 Flight 3-65-97Nov 16 Aeroflot Flight 2230Nov 20 TWA Flight 128Dec 8 Faucett Perú Douglas C-54 crashDec 30 Aeroflot Flight L-51
1966 ◄ ► 1968

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1967 (1967)

Jan 14 Aeroflot Flight 5003Feb 16 Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 708Feb 28 Philippine Air Lines Flight 345Mar 5 Lake Central Airlines Flight 527Mar 5 Varig Flight 837Mar 9 TWA Flight 553Mar 10 West Coast Airlines Flight 720Mar 13 South African Airways Flight 406Mar 30 Delta Air Lines Flight 9877Apr 11 Air Algérie DC-4 crashApr 20 Nicosia Globe Air Bristol Britannia crashJun 3 Air Ferry DC-4 accidentJun 4 Stockport air disasterJun 23 Mohawk Airlines Flight 40Jun 30 Thai Airways International Flight 601Jul 6 Philippine Air Lines Flight 385Jul 19 Piedmont Airlines Flight 22Aug 27 Lake Erie skydiving disasterSep 5 ČSA Flight 523Oct 12 Cyprus Airways Flight 284Nov 4 Iberia Flight 062Nov 6 TWA Flight 159Nov 15 X-15 Flight 3-65-97Nov 16 Aeroflot Flight 2230Nov 20 TWA Flight 128Dec 8 Faucett Perú Douglas C-54 crashDec 30 Aeroflot Flight L-51

1966 ◄ ► 1968

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