British European Airways Flight S200P

British European Airways Flight S200P was a short-haul flight in the United Kingdom from London-Northolt Airport to Glasgow-Renfrew Airport. On 21 April 1948, while on approach to Renfrew, a Vickers VC.1 Viking, registration G-AIVE, crashed into Irish Law Mountain in Ayrshire, Scotland. No one died in the accident, but 13 of the 20 passengers and crew were injured, and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

British European Airways Flight S200P

Wreckage left in situ after the crash
Accident
Date	21 April 1948
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT)
Site	Irish Law Mountain, North Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom 55.808778°N 4.780862°W / 55.808778; -4.780862
Aircraft
A Vickers 610 Viking 1B, similar to the accident aircraft
Aircraft type	Vickers 610 Viking 1B
Operator	British European Airways
Registration	G-AIVE
Flight origin	London-Northolt Airport
Destination	Glasgow-Renfrew Airport
Passengers	16
Crew	4
Fatalities	0
Injuries	13
Survivors	20

Accident

This photo, taken in May 2020, shows the leftover wreckage of the fuselage on the slope of Irish Law mountain.

Flight S200P had taken off 19:09 British Summer Time (18:09 GMT).^[1] After a one-hour flight, air traffic control at Glasgow-Renfrew cleared it for a standard beam approach into the airport. The last radio contact was at 20:01, when the crew requested confirmation that the outer marker was operative. As the aircraft prepared for its approach to the airport, it hit a hill nose-first and broke into 3 parts; the engine and the left wing also broke off. Although the plane burst into flames, all 20 passengers and crew escaped, and all survived. Thirteen people were injured in the accident.^[2][3]

Location of crash site

Cause

An investigation into the crash found the cause to be pilot error. Failure to receive the outer marker beacon signal (probably due to a fault that had developed in the receiver) was a contributory factor.^[2]

Crash site today

Some remnants of G-AIVE remain on the hill at Irish Law Mountain, including the engines, landing gear, and parts of the left and right wings.