Handley Page Hermes - Accidents and Incidents

Accidents and Incidents

• 3 December 1945 - Hermes I G-AGSS the prototype Hermes crashed on the first test flight soon after take-off 3 miles from Radlett Aerodrome. The two Handley Page test pilots were killed.

• 26 May 1952 - Hermes IV G-ALDN (Horus), operated by BOAC, en route from Tripoli, Libya, to Kano, Nigeria, flew off-course for several hours and ran out of fuel, force landing in the Sahara Desert south of Atar, Mauritania. The passengers and crew all survived and spent several days in the desert before making their way to an oasis, where First Officer Ted Haslam, who had suffered a head injury in the crash, died.

• 4 March 1956 - Hermes IV G-ALDW operated by Skyways Limited was destroyed on the ground by an explosion in the luggage compartment. The aircraft was at Nicosia Airport, Cyprus when an explosion (caused by a time-bomb) occurred 20 minutes before the aircraft was due to depart for the United Kingdom with 68 passengers.

• 5 August 1956 - Hermes IV G-ALDK operated by Britavia suffered the collapse of the nose undercarriage at Drigh Road Airport, Karachi, Pakistan. The aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair.

• 5 November 1956 - Hermes IVA G-ALDJ operated by Britavia crashed on night approach to Blackbushe Aerodrome, England in bad weather. Seven of the 80 occupants died.

• 9 October 1960 - Hermes IV G-ALDC of Falcon Airways overran the runway on landing at Southend Airport, ending up across the Shenfield to Southend railway line. The aircraft was written off but all 76 people on board survived.