All 83 passengers dead – the plane tragedy on the Glungezer celebrates its 60th anniversary

It was at 3.18 pm when the “Britannia” reported for the last time at Innsbruck airport. Then the four-engine British Eagle International Airlines plane with flight number 802/6 disappeared. As only became clear the next day, the machine had crashed on the 2,677 meter high Glungezer above the municipality of Tulfes and was subsequently buried under an avalanche. 75 passengers and eight crew members died in the white void.

Radio contact suddenly disappeared
The plane, built in 1958, was actually scheduled to land shortly after 3 p.m. at the Alpine airport in Innsbruck, which is known for its difficult conditions. The experienced, 40-year-old pilot reported the landing approach. He stated that he could not penetrate the clouds due to poor visibility and would therefore initially fly in the Patscherkofel area. A few minutes later, radio contact was lost. The pilots no longer responded to requests from air traffic control.

Although there was initial hope that the aircraft might have landed outside the bad weather zone, as the afternoon progressed the possibility of a crash became increasingly likely. According to media reports, ‘Alpine villagers, mountain rescuers and army soldiers’ set out in search of alpine terrain.

An accident caused an avalanche
However, the search was extremely difficult because no one knew where the plane had last been. As later investigation showed, the “Britannia” crashed into the Glungezer at an altitude of 2,601 meters east of the Gamslahnerspitze at 3:14 pm and shattered. There were thick clouds and heavy snow in the area at the time. The accident caused a huge snow avalanche. It tore much of the aircraft’s debris and corpses down 400 meters and buried them beneath itself.

No one survived the disaster
After the weather was still bad the next day and no search flights were possible from Innsbruck, two US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft equipped with radar left Scotland to search. The wreckage of the accident plane was found around 11:30 am. The blanket of snow was covered with kerosene. Only a few bodies and machine remains were visible. A rescue operation was immediately launched. The rescuers discovered that no one had survived the disaster. It took several weeks before all the bodies could be recovered and identified.

Height of the Glungezer incorrectly estimated
A technical problem was ruled out as the cause of the accident. The pilot had apparently tried to get under the clouds in violation of regulations in order to land at Innsbruck airport, 15 kilometers away. Due to the low altitude and the lack of visibility, he crashed on the steep eastern flank of the Glungezer. It was also believed that the pilot had oriented himself towards the lower Patscherkofel and misjudged the height of the Glungezer.

Several technical improvements after a tragedy
According to Austro Control, a so-called instrument approach procedure or cloud penetration procedure was used at Innsbruck Airport from 1976, not least because of the accident. It allows a safe approach through cloud cover. Numerous other technical improvements and innovations – such as runway lighting and radar monitoring – followed. It was only fifteen years after the plane crash that larger planes started flying to the airport again.

Anniversary commemoration service
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary, the disaster is commemorated with a “memorial ascent” to the cross at the top of the Schartenkogel on the Glungezer. With the participation of, among others, the British Consulate, the Alpine Association, the mountain rescue teams from Hall and Innsbruck and the Alpine Police, a memorial service will be celebrated for the victims and the then rescue workers, who left Voldertal on foot to the scene of the accident.