Features
BOAC 911 crash on 5 March 1966 and lessons learnt
By Capt. G A Fernando MBA,
gafplane@sltnet.lk
Compared to other Airlines British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) had uneconomical over powered, fuel-guzzling aircraft in its fleet, essential to operate into hot, high and humid airports of the British Commonwealth that had short Runways. It seemed as if connectivity was more important than profit. In 1955 the requirement for Vickers Civil Jet programme in Britain had been cancelled by the management of BOAC. There was no replacement planned for the existing Comet 4C and Bristol Britannia aircraft. As a result, BOAC was running at a loss. When the Boeing 707 passenger jet aircraft were introduced by Pan American Airlines of the USA, the BOAC Management was also keen on acquiring the same type of aircraft with a few modifications and with more economical Rolls Royce Convey 12 engines as against the Pratt and Whitney JT3D engines that the original American aircraft had. So, in 1956 BOAC ordered 15 B 707 aircraft which needed longer runways to land and Take-off. Subsequently, after an uproar in the British Parliament BOAC was forced to also order 17 Vickers VC 10’s as well. But that’s another story! The American B 707 aircraft thus ordered were inducted into BOAC service in 1960.
As far back as 1947 Pan American had two flights originating from USA, going around the world. One went west bound from San Francisco (call sign, ‘Yankee Clipper 001’) and the other (call sign ‘Yankee Clipper 002’) went east bound from New York, with multiple stops. They usually crossed each other somewhere over Lebanon in the Middle East, going in opposite directions. After acquiring the B 707 aircraft, BOAC too followed suite with one B 707 going east bound from England across Europe and Asia, and the other west bound across the Atlantic and around the world. Jet aircraft were operated like stage coaches of old. They were kept continuously flying, after a change of crew (like changing horses!) and refuelling, at the end of each stage.
This is the story of a west bound BOAC B 707 aircraft (Call sign Speed bird 911). The year1966 was a bad year for Air Safety in Japan. In fact, that year, there were four fatal crashes and two within 48 hours. On the evening of 4th March 1966, the Tokyo Haneda International Airport, was ‘boxed in’ with bad weather due to an area of low pressure overhead resulting in fog, rain and low visibility. The Captain of a Canadian Pacific aircraft circling over Japan and waiting to land, decided to divert to Taiwan as the weather conditions were bad and not improving. However, Air Traffic Control in Tokyo then told them that the weather was observed to be improving. So they decided to carry out an approach that resulted in a fatal deviation from the glide path and the Douglas DC 8 aircraft, undershot, hitting some approach lights and a sea wall before crashing into the airport premises in flames.
That same night, a BOAC ‘Speed bird 911’ registered as G-APFE, B 707 aircraft from Honolulu Hawaii diverted to Fukuoka, Japan, as the weather was better there. It was mid-day on 5th March when they arrived at the Tokyo Haneda International Airport which was their original destination. Now the weather had passed and the skies were Blue. The next ‘stage’ of the around the world flight was Tokyo to Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong under the command of an experienced 45-year old, Captain named Bernard Dobson (DFC & Bar) from Dorset. He had been an ex-WWII pilot, flying B 707 aircraft since 1960. (See Fig. 01)
That day, since the skies were clear (after the storm) they could see the 12388 foot Mount Fuji (Fujisan) from the airport, they taxied past the still smouldering wreckage of the Canadian Pacific aircraft that crashed the night before. I am sure that everyone felt safe as lightning never strikes the same place twice and accidents always happen to other people. (See Fig. 02)
The low pressure system had given way to a high pressure system, associated with high wind speeds. As Airline Captains sometimes do, Capt Dobson decided to give his passengers a flight past the crater of Mount Fuji at 16,000ft and at a speed between 320 to 370 knots in a slight decent.
The aircraft then suddenly encountered severe turbulence close to Mount Fuji. With the extremely heavy turbulence the vertical tail fin broke and hit the left Elevator which broke in turn. Next the four underslung engines of the B 707 got wrenched out of the wing. The fuel started leaking in the form of a fine mist into the air and the aircraft went into an unrecoverable flat spin. The fuselage broke from near the Flight Deck just before impact. The debris were scattered 16 miles across. All 113 passengers and 11 crew members lost their lives. The Flight Deck was destroyed by fire along with the Flight Data Recorder (FDR). There was no requirement by law to have a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) installed, those days. These two devices were collectively called the ‘Black Box’ and would have helped with the accident investigation.
The Accident Investigation
The two accident investigators dispatched from Britain didn’t have any hard evidence from the ’Black Box’ which was destroyed by fire. However, there were many eye witnesses and photographs of the unfortunate event to go on. There was also an 8mm Cine Camera with which a passenger was filming through a window and was recovered from the wreckage. When the film was developed and examined, the investigators noticed that the camera had jumped two frames just before falling on the aircraft floor. On further investigation it was found that for the two frames to jump, a shock force of plus 7.5 G had to be administered to this compact and sturdy machine. (G being the force of Gravity).
Extreme turbulence was also confirmed by another US Navy Douglas Skyhawk jet fighter aircraft that went looking for the BOAC wreck on the mountain side, immediately afterwards and experienced severe turbulence and had pulled plus 9G and minus 4G. While jet fighters are built to withstand high G forces, big passenger jets are not built that way and are not as strong. Although they can withstand more, passenger aircraft are certified to only up to about plus 2.5 G. Capt Dobson didn’t have a chance at that speed he was travelling in clear air. There was a possibility circulation of clear air in a rotary action (curling inwards) on the downwind (Leeward) side of the mountain.
The Leeward Side and possible Rotors
This event was very similar to a vehicle at high speed hitting an abnormally high road bump that could result in mechanical failure Although discovered by two glider pilots, back in1933, even at this point of time in 1966, very little was known about the meteorological phenomenon call ‘Mountain Waves’ and their effect on 
relatively new swept wing passenger jet planes which still had some flying characteristics which baffled the Airline pilots and the Aeronautical engineers.
Mountain waves
Air, being a fluid like water, on windy days get disturbed by obstacles like mountain ranges, similar to what occurs when river water flows over rocks creating turbulent ‘White water’. The essential difference is that one can see White Water, but Mountain Waves will be invisible more often than not. On other occasions there will be cloud of peculiar shapes which will give the pilots a warning. Capt. Dobson had no warning whatsoever and the sky was clear, till it was too late with the onset of turbulence..
Interestingly, several booked passengers decided to cancel their flight on BOAC 991 at the last moment in order to see a ninja demonstration. These passengers, Albert (Cubby) Broccoli, Harry Saltzman, Ken Adam, Lewis Gilbert and Freddie Young, were in Japan searching for locations for the fifth James Bond film, You Only Live Twice.
Riding the bumps
These accident and incident investigation reports helped to formulate and fine tune Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) through the years to make Airline operations safe. Today’s Airline Pilots are taught reduce their speed as soon as they experience Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) so that they can ride the bumps. There are ‘Turbulence speeds’ now defined for Jet Aircraft which work very well. If they anticipate turbulence, they told to slow down early in anticipation. Now the curriculum for Meteorology studies for the Commercial Pilots’ Licence discusses extensively ‘Mountain Wave Turbulence’ and tell-tale signs of their presence by observing cloud formations and the best (quickest) way to transit such areas.
Macarthur Job in his book ‘Air Disaster’ Volume 1, mentions that there is a traditional Japanese proverb which says that “When the sky is blue Fuji is angry” This holds good even today. Twenty years or so after this accident, I was flying from Narita to Fukuoka via Mount Fuji in a Lockheed L 1011 Tri-Star aircraft at 30,000ft climbing at 300 feet per minute, in clear blue weather, when suddenly the rate of climb shot up to over 2000 feet per minute. Mount Fuji was right below us. At altitudes below us the turbulence would have been much worse. Because of the extensive studies and analysis done on the accident of BOAC 911, my crew and I were fully prepared for it. (Forewarned is forearmed)
Today the Flight Data Recorders and Cockpit Voice Recorders are installed in the tail of an aircraft in fire proof, shock proof containers. The passenger seats can withstand 12G’s. The passengers are advised to have their seatbelts fastened whenever they are seated. The Pilots are taught to avoid (avoid, avoid, avoid) situations of heavy turbulence by being proactive, preventive and predictive for safety’s sake.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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