HC Deb 27 October 1965 vol 718 cc160-3
Mr. Stodart

(by Private Notice) asked the Minister of Aviation whether he will make a statement on the accident last night at London Airport to an aircraft from Edinburgh, as a result of which 36 people lost their lives?

The Minister of Aviation (Mr. Roy Jenkins)

A Vanguard belonging to British European Airways, on a flight from Edinburgh to London, crashed at Heathrow on Runway 28 Right early this morning in low visibility. There were 30 passengers and six crew, and I regret to say that there were no survivors. Preliminary information suggests that the pilot, having made two previous approaches to land, had announced his intention of again overshooting. I have decided that a public inquiry shall be held into the causes and circumstances of the accident.

The whole House will, I know, wish to join with me in expressing sympathy with the relatives and friends of all those who have lost their lives in this tragic accident.

Mr. Stodart

I thank the Minister for that information. As the Member in whose constituency Turnhouse airport lies, and as one who has suffered the loss of constituents in the air crash—as no doubt have other hon. Members—may I add on behalf of the House my sympathy with the relatives of the passengers and of the staff and with everyone who has been touched by the disaster, the horror of which is magnified, I believe, when one remembers the scores of journeys which hon. Members have made in perfect safety and comfort on this airline.

May I ask the Minister one question arising out of what he said—and I have no desire whatever to trespass on the ground which the inquiry will cover. He mentioned the low visibility at the time. It was stated in one of the morning newspapers that, according to a witness of the crash, visibility was limited to no more than 110 yards. Whether that is correct or not, and in order to allay anxiety in the immediate future, will the right hon. Gentleman say what the minimum visibility is for a landing at London Airport and whether this minimum is being scrupulously observed?

Mr. Jenkins

I am grateful to the hon. Member for what he said in the early part of his question. The minimum applied by B.E.A. for this type of aircraft for landing is 350 metres. This is a matter which the public inquiry will look into, but I have no reason to think that the pilot was operating below this limit.

Mr. Rankin

Is my right hon. Friend aware that it is stated in one of our leading newspapers this morning that there was an engineering block on the runway, and, of course, the implications of that are obvious. Would my right hon. Friend inquire into that forthwith? Secondly, is he aware that the carrying capacity of the Vanguard is 139 passengers? In view of the potential disaster involved in a crash today, would he forthwith see that there is a careful re-scrutiny of the precautions and regulation which apply at the point of take-off and the point of landing?

Mr. Jenkins

Of course, we shall bear all these points in mind, but I think that it would be wrong to view this tragic accident alone and not to see it in the context of the outstanding safety record both of London Airport and of the airlines themselves. Having ordered a public inquiry, which I think is right in these circumstances, I am naturally inhibited in what I ought to say at this stage, but there is no indication at all that there was any obstacle on the runway which could have been a contributory cause.

Mr. R. Carr

We should all like to associate ourselves with the sympathy with the relatives of those who have lost their lives. May I welcome the fact that the Minister has ordered a public inquiry in this case? I think that that will give great reassurance to the public at large. May I confirm that the inquiry itself is to be in public and that the findings of the inquiry will also be published in due course? May I ask the Minister about our current position regarding the revision of the Warsaw Convention as it affects compensation for the victims a air crashes? Has that change been made and will there, therefore, be any benefit in this case? May we assume that the dependants of the crew who so sadly lost their lives will be adequately taken care of under the normal B.E.A. regulations?

Finally, it appears from reports that, although unfortunately they could be of no avail to the tragic victims, the fire services and other rescue services were on the spot with remarkable rapidity, and I feel sure that we should like to congratulate them on that.

Mr. Jenkins

The inquiry will be a public inquiry, conducted in public and leading, of course, to a public report. I should prefer notice of the question about the detailed position with regard to the Warsaw Convention. The dependants of the crew will, I am sure, be looked after in accordance with the normal provisions of B.E.A. I am very glad indeed to confirm what the right hon. Gentleman said about the rescue services. The fire services were on the spot of the crash within one minute of impact, which was a very remarkable performance.

Mr. Woodburn

As one who saw and experienced the conditions at London Airport earlier in the day, when coming from Edinburgh, may I ask whether, in the study of the causes of this accident, my right hon. Friend will inquire carefully into how long pilots were on duty yesterday under terribly trying conditions? From observation, it would seem possible that pilots were reaching the point of exhaustion, especially at 4 a.m. When I consider the careful way in which pilots normally act, may I ask my right hon. Friend to inquire whether under those conditions the pilots may have been overstrained by the tremendous length of their day?

Mr. Jenkins

This will be one of the matters which will be most carefully looked into by the public inquiry, but fog and delays of the sort which occurred last night are not unusual in air operations over this country, and I believe that B.E.A. and other airlines take these into account in seeing that the pilot's day does not exceed the maximum laid down.