HC Deb 07 March 1966 vol 725 cc1721-5

Mr. R. Carr (by Private Notice) asked the Minister of Aviation if he will make a statement about the crash to the B.O.A.C. Boeing aircraft at Tokyo with the loss of 124 lives.

The Minister of Aviation (Mr. Frederick Mulley)

A Boeing 707 aircraft of B.O.A.C. on a flight from London to Hong Kong, via U.S.A. and Tokyo, crashed 17 minutes after leaving Tokyo on Saturday, 5th March, at 5.15 a.m. G.M.T., corresponding to 2.15 p.m. local time.

The aircraft took off from Tokyo under a visual flight rule clearance and the last radio contact with Tokyo was when the aircraft was at about 2,000 feet. Preliminary information indicates that the aircraft suffered a structural failure before crashing on the south-east slope of Mount Fuji. The reason for the failure is not yet known. I regret to say that all 113 passengers and 11 crew were killed.

In accordance with international agreement, the responsibility for conducting an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident lies with the Japanese authorities, but they have the right to delegate the whole or any part to the State of registry. I have no reason to doubt that the Japanese authorities will conduct the inquiry, and I will appoint an accredited representative to participate in the inquiry.

My Chief Inspector of Accidents, with members of his staff and medical advisers, left for Tokyo on Saturday morning along with the Chairman of B.O.A.C. and his investigating team, and arrived yesterday.

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

Mr. Carr

We on this side would, of course, like to join in the sympathy which has been expressed to all those who have been bereaved by this accident. I think that the whole House would also like to express sympathy to the management and staff of B.O.A.C., who have a magnificent safety record.

Is the Minister aware that there must be growing public anxiety at the unfortunate rash of crashes of jet airliners during the last month or two? Will he, therefore, press on with his inquiry, as far as he is able to influence it, with great urgency and try to see that a statement is made at the earliest possible moment? During the course of his inquiry, will the Minister use any influence he can to see that the basic stall characteristics of large jet aircraft are particularly looked into, because there seems now to be evidence that these large jets are susceptible to these sudden stalling accidents?

Mr. Mulley

I am very much obliged to the right hon. Gentleman for what he has said, and I will see that the sympathy of the House is also conveyed to the staff of B.O.A.C., who, I agree, have had an admirable safety record. The last accident involving loss of life was as long as 10 years ago.

As to the inquiry, as I have said, it is almost certain to be conducted, as international law provides, by the Japanese authorities, but I will certainly do all I can to see that it is expedited as much as possible.

It is always rash to speculate about the causes of accidents in advance of an inquiry, but on our preliminary view there is nothing to suggest that this accident had any bearing upon similar accidents which, all too unhappily, have occurred in Japan in recent weeks. I would not myself think that the stall was as relevant a matter for the Boeing 707 as, perhaps, it is for the Boeing 727, but I will certainly see that these points are studied.

Mr. Edelman

Apart from this tragic accident, will my right hon. Friend say what are the general rules governing authority for pilots to deviate from course to study features of special interest for passengers such as, for example, Mont Blanc?

Mr. Mulley

I do not know that any question of special facilities for passengers arose in this case. Flights from Tokyo to Hong Kong are generally made along airways under instrument flight rules, but an aircraft commander may, at his discretion and with the approval of air traffic control, fly outside airways under visual flight rules in clear weather, and that is what the pilot in this case was doing. The captain was a very experienced pilot, who had had a lot of experience in the area.

Mr. Lubbock

May we on these benches also associate ourselves with the sympathy which has been expressed for the relatives of the victims of this tragic crash?

May I ask the Minister whether the flight recorder has yet been recovered and what provision will be made by B.O.A.C. for meeting its route commitments now that it has lost this aircraft?

Mr. Mulley

It is too early to say what effect the accident may have on route commitments. The flight data recorder has not yet been recovered, but it is not at all clear that if it were recovered it would necessarily show any indication of the cause of the accident.

Sir A. V. Harvey

Does the Minister recall that doubts about the stall characteristics of the Boeing freighter have been expressed by the British Air Line Pilots' Association? Will he ask his investigators to make certain from the makers in the United States that the same doubts do not apply to the passenger version of the Boeing 707?

Mr. Mulley

I think that I can say now that the handling characteristics which raised questions in relation to the Boeing 707 freighters recently acquired by B.O.A.C. do not arise with the version involved in this accident, which has been flying since 1960.

Mr. Maxwell

Will my right hon. Friend explain the situation concerning the insurance that may be recovered by the families who lost their loved ones in such tragic circumstances, and the present situation as regards the Warsaw Convention?

Mr. Mulley

The question of compensation is now extremely complicated as a result of some countries having ratified and some not having ratified The Hague Convention, which revised the Warsaw Convention. The question of compensation under those Conventions may well depend upon the ticket and the flight on which passengers were travelling. The position is very unsatisfactory and, as my hon. Friend probably knows, a meeting is likely to be held very soon to try to resolve these difficulties.

The crew will be covered by the pension scheme of B.O.A.C./B.E.A., which will be in addition to any common law entitlement that may arise.

Mr. Marten

Can the Minister be a little more specific about the question of an interim statement? It would satisfy public opinion if fairly soon, as soon as he is sure of the facts, he could give an interim statement without waiting for a final detailed report.

Secondly, can the right hon. Gentleman say whether there is any machinery for linking the investigations into the various crashes which have occurred?

Mr. Mulley

As the hon. Member will know, we are in each case very much in the hands of the authority in whose area an accident occurs. I will certainly consider whether an interim statement can be made, but this is a difficult matter when another country is conducting the inquiry. There are no international arrangements for co-ordinating inquiries of this nature, but there is, as the hon. Member knows, concern about the number of accidents and they will, I am sure, be discussed within the international bodies.