The list of incidents with the Avro York shows an overview of incidents resulting in the death or total loss of Avro York aircraft .
From 1945 to the last flights in 1964, Avro York suffered 87 total losses. With 259 machines built, this is a loss rate of 33.6%, an extremely high percentage of total losses for peacetime. 242 people died in 28 of the accidents. Examples:
On December 29, 1945, a Royal Air Force Avro York C.1 ( aircraft registration MW134 ) crashed while attempting to take off with only 3 engines running. The machine turned sideways, there was a loss of control and it crashed 3 kilometers from the RAF Holmsley South take-off airport near Bashley ( Great Britain ). One of the crew members was killed.
On April 11, 1946, a Royal Air Force York C.1 (MW252) rolled over the runway end at RAF Woodbridge Air Force Base ( Great Britain ) and sped into trees. Of the 6 occupants, one crew member was killed, the other and the 4 passengers survived.
Also on April 11, 1946, the landing gear of another Royal Air Force Avro York C.1 (MW180) collapsed during landing at RAF Station Lyneham ( Wiltshire ). All inmates survived. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
On October 6, 1946, a Royal Air Force York C.1 (MW125) crashed into the sea about 160 kilometers west of the destination airport Penang ( Malaysia ). The plane came from Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport . All 21 occupants, 6 crew members and 15 passengers were killed.
On October 20, 1946, a York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW208) failed when taking off from Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport ( India ). The engine number 2 failed. The machine could no longer climb and crashed. Of the 15 occupants, 3 passengers were killed.
On November 20, 1946, a Royal Air Force York C.1 (MW205) was flown 40 miles south of Suez ( Egypt ) in hilly terrain. In this CFIT, Controlled flight into terrain , 6 inmates were killed.
On November 28, 1946, the pilots of an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW168) lost directional control when taking off from RAF Brize Norton Air Force Base ( Great Britain ). The plane hit a railway embankment, causing the landing gear to collapse. All occupants survived the accident. The machine was damaged beyond repair.
On 2 December 1946 an Avro York C.1 put the Royal Air Force (MW268) at the Malta-Luqa airport before the runway and was damaged beyond repair. All inmates survived.
On December 19, 1946, a Royal Air Force Avro York C.1 (MW241 ) caught fire at RAF Honington Air Force Base ( Great Britain ) when the fuel tanks were being drained. The plane was destroyed.
On March 14, 1947, the landing gear of an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW202) could not be locked when approaching the RAF station Lyneham ( Wiltshire ). It then collapsed on landing, causing irreparable damage to the aircraft. All occupants survived the accident.
On March 18, 1947, a Royal Air Force York C.1 (MW198) had an accident shortly after taking off from RAF Station Negombo (today Bandaranaike International Airport) ( Ceylon ). Shortly after take off, an engine failed. The machine could not maintain the altitude, grazed trees and crashed three kilometers north of the air force base. Of the 15 occupants, 11 were killed, 4 crew members and 7 passengers.
On April 13, 1947, when a BSAA plane crash-landed at Dakar-Yoff Airport ( G-AHEZ ), six passengers were killed in poor visibility, the other nine occupants survived.
On May 24, 1947 Avro York C.1 became the Royal Air Force (MW190) while approaching the Malta-Luqa airport in a Fallbö , sat in front of the runway and was damaged beyond repair. All occupants survived the accident.
On July 1, 1947, an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW224) crashed at RAF Oakington Air Force Base ( Great Britain ) while attempting to take off with only 3 engines running. It came to a stall and the machine crashed almost vertically. All 5 crew members were killed.
On July 16, 1947, an Avro York C.1 of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) (G-AGNR) was flown into the ground during the fourth attempt to approach Shaibah Air Base ( Iraq ). Due to poor visibility at the actual destination, Basra Airport , the crew avoided the Shaibah Air Base. All 6 crew members were killed; the 12 passengers survived.
On July 24, 1947, an Avro York I of the Argentine Flota Aérea Mercante Argentina (FAMA), later Aerolíneas Argentinas , (LV-XIH) collided with a truck while landing at Buenos Aires-Moron ( Argentina ) and exploded. 3 people were killed, 2 of the 6 crew members and a truck driver.
On July 25, 1947, an Avro York C.1 of the British Skyways (G-AIUP) rolled over the end of the runway after a brake failure when landing at London Heathrow Airport and came to rest around 230 meters behind it in a small river. The cause was the breakage of a cable pull after excessive wear. All 24 occupants, 7 crew members and 17 passengers survived. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
On November 5, 1947, the brakes of an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW207) failed when landing at RAF Station Lyneham. The plane came off the runway and only came to a standstill on a hedge. All occupants, crew members and passengers survived. The machine was damaged beyond repair.
On November 17, 1947, came at a Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW284) at the RAF station Dishforth ( United Kingdom ) during the go-around with only three engines running at a stall . The machine belly landed and caught fire. Still, all of the inmates survived.
On July 4, 1948, a two-month-old Douglas DC-6 of SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SE-BDA) collided with an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW248) in flight over Great Britain . Both machines were approaching Northolt Airport , collided a good 6 kilometers north of the airfield and crashed. All 32 people on board the DC-6 as well as the seven occupants of the York were killed.
On September 19, 1948, an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW288) crashed during a night take-off at the Wunstorf RAF station ( Lower Saxony ). When an engine failure occurred and the cargo plane went off the runway, the pilots tried to avoid the collision with a radar vehicle. The machine was stalled, it stalled and crashed at Klein Heidorn . The aircraft was in use for the Berlin Airlift . All five crew members were killed.
On September 23, 1948, a York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW245) had an accident while aborting take-off at RAF Station Wunstorf ( Germany ). The commander retracted the landing gear in order to bring the machine to a standstill in time. All inmates survived. The aircraft that was used within the Berlin Airlift was damaged beyond repair.
On October 10, 1948, an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW305) rolled over the end of the runway when landing at Berlin-Gatow airfield. In order to prevent further rolling, the landing gear was retracted so that it landed on its stomach . This damaged the aircraft beyond repair. All occupants, crew members and passengers survived.
On November 10, 1948 the airspeed indicator failed in a York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW270) when taking off from RAF station Wunstorf. When the takeoff was aborted, the commander retracted the landing gear in order to bring the machine to a standstill in time. All inmates survived. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
On December 2, 1948, an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW246) was landed at the Berlin-Gatow airfield at too high a speed. To prevent the end of the runway from rolling over, the commander initiated a ringelpiez , during which the landing gear collapsed. All occupants, crew members and passengers survived the accident. The machine was damaged beyond repair.
On December 14, 1948, the pilots of an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW300) lost control of the aircraft when it took off from Berlin-Gatow airfield , whereupon the landing gear collapsed. All occupants, crew members and passengers survived. The machine was damaged beyond repair.
Also on December 14, 1948, a very similar accident occurred at the Berlin-Gatow airfield. The pilots of an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW238) lost directional control of the machine during take-off. It came off the runway, fell onto the aircraft's nose in soft ground and was destroyed. All occupants, crew members and passengers survived.
On January 5, 1949, an unquenchable engine fire broke out at the BSAA's York G-AHEX while climbing. During the necessary emergency landing in Caravelas Bay, Brazil , three passengers were killed, the other twelve occupants survived.
On March 15, 1949, an Avro York I of the British Skyways (G-AHFI) lost control while approaching Berlin-Gatow airfield ( Germany ). The machine tipped over the left wing and fell to the ground. All 3 crew members were killed.
On April 21, 1949 a tire burst on an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW188) when taking off from the military airfield in Gütersloh ( Germany ). The pilots returned for an emergency landing. The aircraft came off the runway, the landing gear collapsed and the machine was irreparably damaged. All occupants survived the accident.
On June 19, 1949, the crew of an Avro York C.1 of the British Skyways (G-ALBX) crash-landed in the area near Neustadt ( Germany ). Engine no. 4 failed shortly after take-off, followed by no. 3 at a height of around 160 meters. Since the altitude could not be maintained, there was an emergency landing. All 3 crew members survived.
On July 30, 1949, there was a loss of power in an engine of an Avro York C.1 of the Royal Air Force (MW145) during the night take-off from the RAF station Wunstorf ( Germany ). Directional control was lost, and the pilots retracted the landing gear to bring the machine to a standstill in time. The plane was destroyed. All inmates survived.
1950s
On March 11, 1952, all four engines of an Avro York Mk.I of Air Charter (Great Britain) ( aircraft registration G-AMGL ) failed due to a lack of fuel when approaching Hamburg Airport . There was a belly landing in the area, in which the machine was irreparably damaged. All 10 occupants, 3 crew members and 7 passengers survived.
On August 24, 1952, engine no. 1 had to be shut down on an Avro York C.1 of Eagle Aviation (G-AGNZ) after taking off from Berlin-Gatow airport ( Germany ). During the return to the take-off airfield, however, a fire quickly spread in the engine, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing in a field near Potsdam. One of the three crew members of the cargo flight was killed.
On November 27, 1952, an Avro York Mk.I of the British Surrey Flying Service (G-AMGM) sank so far below the prescribed glide path during a radar approach to RAF station Lyneham ( Wiltshire ) that it sank at high speed into trees and a hill crashed. Contributing factors were strong falling gusts , poor visibility and errors by the pilots and the radar pilot. The aircraft was on a transfer flight from London Stansted Airport . All three crew members survived.
On February 2, 1953, an Avro York of the British Skyways (G-AHFA) disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean, about 500 kilometers east of Newfoundland ( Canada ). The machine was on the flight from Lajes (Azores) to Gander . There were 33 passengers and 6 crew members on board.
On 13 April 1954 an Avro York C.1 of the accident Scottish Airlines (G-Amum) on the Malta-Luqa airport . The starter of one of the engines was defective. That is why the captain came up with the glorious idea of starting this engine by accelerating the propeller when rolling with the airstream. This actually succeeded, but only so shortly before the end of the runway that it quickly rolled over and the aircraft was irreparably damaged. All 3 crew members survived the mishap.
On June 26, 1954, engine no. 1 was detached from an Avro York C.1 of the British Skyways (G-AGNY) during the flight from Hamburg Airport to Berlin. Control was lost; the machine fell to the ground near Kyritz ( GDR ). All 3 crew members were killed.
On September 22, 1954, an Avro York C.1 of Scottish Airlines (G-ANRC) drifted to the left during crosswind take-off at Stansted Airport ( UK ); it was over-corrected and the machine swung to the right, collapsing the landing gear. A fire broke out and destroyed the aircraft. All 49 occupants, 5 crew members and 44 passengers survived.
On April 11, 1955, an Avro York C.1 of the Canadian Associated Airways (CF-HMZ) crashed while taking off with eight tons of cargo from Yellowknife Airport ( Northwest Territories ). The two pilots survived the accident and the aircraft was destroyed.
On April 12, 1955, an Avro York C.1 of the Canadian Arctic Wings (CF-HMX) collided with a snow wall at Hall Lake ( Northwest Territories ) and was irreparably damaged. All inmates survived.
On May 26, 1955, an Avro York C.1 of the Canadian Associated Airways (CF-HMY) collided with an obstacle after taking off from Edmonton Municipal Airport ( Alberta ), crashed and caught fire. The two crew members were killed. A safe start would not have been possible under the prevailing weather conditions. However, the airline had neither provided the pilots with the documents required for the calculation nor checked the pilots for their suitability. The Canadian supervisory authority had also given the aircraft and the captain the necessary permits without any checks.
On September 14, 1955, in an Avro York C.1 of the Iranian Persian Air Services (EP-ADA), shortly after take-off from Abadan Airport ( Iran ), engine 3 (right inside) initially lost power when the machine reached an altitude of had reached around 150 meters. Shortly afterwards, engine 4 (far right) began to stutter severely. An emergency landing was carried out on Iraqi territory, about 20 kilometers south of the take-off airport. All 13 occupants, 4 crew members and 9 passengers survived the emergency landing.
Plaque commemorating the 1956 Avro York crash in Malta
On September 29, 1955 Avro York C.1 Canadian Associated Airways (CF HMV) on a lake in the ( Northwest Territories ) ditched , about 180 kilometers north of Beaver Lodge ( Saskatchewan ) because the fuel supply was ended . However, the aircraft only partially sank in the water, so that the two pilots were initially able to save themselves on a wing. However, they did not have access to emergency equipment or food. The captain died after two days, the first officer survived.
On January 24, 1956, the right main landing gear of an Avro York C.1 of the Canadian Maritime Central Airways (CF-HMU) collapsed on landing at Fort Chimo Airport ( Quebec ). All inmates survived. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
On February 18, 1956, the York with the registration number G-ANSY of Scottish Airlines crashed shortly after taking off from Malta Airport after an engine failure. All 50 people on board were killed. It was an Avro York accident with the most fatalities.
On April 30, 1956, a Scottish Airlines (G-AMUL) Avro York C.1 taking off for Malta got off the runway when the takeoff was aborted at Stansted Airport ( UK ) and crossed a ditch, causing the landing gear to collapse. Of the 54 occupants, 2 passengers were killed; all 5 crew members and 47 passengers survived. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
On September 17, 1956, a fuel tank exploded in an Avro York C.1 operated by Iranian Persian Air Services (EP-ADB) while maintenance work was being carried out at London Stansted Airport . The machine was destroyed. No people were killed.
On September 26, 1956, an Avro York C.1 of the Canadian Maritime Central Airways (CF-HMW) crashed 28 kilometers northwest of the destination airport Fort Chimo ( Quebec ). The machine was on its return flight from Frobisher Bay Airport . Of the 3 crew members on the cargo flight, 2 were killed. The wreck of the machine can still be seen on Google Earth today (coordinates 58 ° 18 '07 N, 68 ° 42' 44 W).
On January 8, 1957, an Avro York C.1 of Transair (Canada) (CF-HIQ) had to make an emergency landing on the shores of Hudson Bay 33 kilometers south of Rankin Inlet Airport ( Northwest Territories ). All three crew members of the cargo flight survived. The machine was a total write-off.
On June 24, 1957, an Avro York C.1 of Pacific Western Airlines (CF-HFP) rolled over the end of the runway when landing in Cape Parry ( Northwest Territories ) and was irreparably damaged. The two pilots, the only occupants on the cargo flight, survived.
On December 23, 1957, an Avro York C.1 of Scottish Airlines (G-AMUN) coming from Malta collided with a tree 1200 meters from the runway during the third approach to London-Stansted Airport ( UK ), fell and caught fire. All 4 crew members were killed.
On May 20, 1958, an Avro York C.1 of the British Dan-Air (G-AMUT) touched down late on landing at Malta Airport and rolled over the end of the runway. The landing gear was retracted to bring the aircraft to a standstill. The machine collided with a wall and was irreparably damaged. All three crew members on the cargo flight survived.
On May 25, 1958, the crew of the York C.1 of the British Dan-Air (G-AMUV) carried out an emergency landing on the flight from Karachi to Delhi because of a burning engine near Gurgaon (India). The cargo plane broke on the uneven terrain, and four of the five crew members were killed.
On September 29, 1958, an Avro York operated by Middle East Airlines (MEA) (OD-ADB) disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea on a cargo flight from Beirut Airport to Rome-Ciampino . All five crew members have been missing since then.
On July 15, 1959, an Avro York C.1 of the Iranian Persian Air Services (EP-ADE) had an accident near Kuwait Airport . The machine was totaled. Further details are not known.
1960s
On May 27, 1960, an Air Liban Avro York C.1 ( aircraft registration OD-ACD ) had an accident while taking off from Tehran-Mehrabad airport ( Iran ). All inmates survived. The aircraft was totaled. Further details are not known.
On May 24, 1961, the left tire of an Avro York CI operated by Lebanese Trans Mediterranean Airways (TMA) (OD-ACO) burst during take-off from Azaiba Airport ( Oman ). The pilots returned for an emergency landing. The aircraft came off the runway, the landing gear collapsed and the machine was irreparably damaged. All occupants survived the accident.
On April 6, 1962, on a Kuwait Airways cargo flight, an Avro York C.1 crashed into Lahore Airport due to a malfunction of the landing gear . The aircraft (OD-ACN) was leased from Trans Mediterranean Airways (TMA). All three crew members survived; the plane was ready for scrap.
On September 11, 1962, an Avro York Mk.I of Trans Mediterranean Airways (TMA) (OD-ADA ) was irreparably damaged in a landing accident at Azaiba airport ( Oman ). All three crew members survived the accident.
On March 15, 1963, a York C.1 operated by Lebanese Trans Mediterranean Airways (OD-ACZ) flew into the mountains ten minutes after take-off, 26 kilometers west of Tehran-Mehrabad airport in good weather. The test captain, who was the third pilot, probably simulated an engine failure of engine no. 4, followed by the actual failure of engine no. 3. A timely restart of the intact engine no. 4 apparently did not take place. All four crew members of the cargo plane were killed. This was the last Avro York accident before it closed in 1964.
