British European Airways Flight 706
British European Airways Flight 706 (BE706/BEA706) was a scheduled flight from Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom to Salzburg-W. A. Mozart Airport in Salzburg, Austria. The flight was operated by a Vickers Vanguard with a U.K registration of G-APEC. On 2 October 1971, whilst en route at , 35 minutes after takeoff, the rear cabin pressure bulkhead failed. The resulting pressurisation of the tail section caused the surfaces of the tailplanes to separate, weakening them to the point that they broke off. Without a horizontal stabiliser the aircraft entered an uncontrollable dive. The aircraft crashed near Aarsele, Belgium, killing all 63 passengers and crew on impact. A piece of debris from the aircraft struck a passing car, causing minor injuries to one of its occupants.

Investigators, in attempting to determine the cause of the accident, found corrosion in the lower part of the rear pressure bulkhead underneath plating that was bonded to the structure. The bulkhead had been eaten away. Fluid contamination, perhaps from the lavatory, was thought to have been the root cause for the corrosion. The corrosion was not detectable by then-current inspection techniques. The Belgian Civil Aeronautics Administration wrote the report and the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch had accredited personnel assisting the investigation.
Q8691
Heathrow Airport
LOC
Q84
London
LOC
Q145
United Kingdom
LOC
Q251538
Salzburg-W. A. Mozart Airport
LOC
Q1471566
Vickers Vanguard
MISC
Q970739
rear cabin pressure bulkhead
UNK
Q2750562
Aarsele
LOC
Q2389420
Civil Aeronautics Administration
ORG
Q406725
Air Accidents Investigation Branch
ORG
Q918604
British European Airways Flight 706
MEDIA
1971-10-02T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
2 October 1971
DATE
+706^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
706
NUMBER
+706^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
706
NUMBER
+35^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
35
NUMBER
+63^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
63
NUMBER
point in time
number of deaths
place served by transport hub
country