1967 Nicosia Britannia disaster
The Nicosia Britannia disaster was the death of 126 passengers and crew on a Bristol Britannia of the Swiss airline Globe Air when it flew into the ground 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) south of Nicosia Airport, in Cyprus.[1]
 The aircraft involved in the accident, seen here at Schiphol Airport in 1965 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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.[1] The flight stopped at Colombo in Sri Lanka and then Bombay in India with the next stop due to be Cairo.[1] The crew diverted the flight to Nicosia due to bad weather at Cairo.[2] 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.[2]
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.[3]
Two German (Christa Blümel and Peter Femfert) and two Swiss (Veronika 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.[2]
Legacy
The crash culminated in Globe Air's bankruptcy and the sale of paintings that led to the 1967 Basel Picasso paintings purchase referendum.[4]
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.