1963 Iberia Airlines Russ Hill Incident
The 1963 Iberia Airlines Russ Hill Incident was an air incident that happened on the 2 September 1963. When a Iberia Airlines Lockheed Super Constellation registration EC-AMQ was on a flight from Barcelona Airport in Spain to London Gatwick Airport with 7 crew and 76 passengers onboard. As the Lockheed Super Constellation was on approach it brushed tress on Russ Hill in Surry and almost crashed. The pilots were able to pull the Super Constellation back up into the air, and subsequently landed safely at London Gatwick Airport. The Lockheed Super Constellation had damage to the engines, wings and landing gear. None of the 7 crew and 75 passengers onboard were injured during the incident.
Cause
An investigation was done by the Civil Aviation Authority, who found that light wind and low cloud made it hard to see the airport on approach. The pilots descended lower and almost crashed the aircraft into Russ Hill.