It was one of the worst air disasters in Scottish aviation history, claiming the lives of 30 passengers and six crew members.
At 23:17 hours on October 26, 1965, Vickers Vanguard G-APEE departed Edinburgh Turnhouse Airport en route for London Heathrow. It should have been a routine domestic flight, but fate would tragically have other plans.
Despite atrocious weather conditions, the majority of the flight is said to have been uneventful until the aircraft was almost at its destination. The British European Airways (BEA) flight took off with Captain Norman H Shackell, one of BEA's most experienced pilots at the helm.
READ MORE: Edinburgh's worst ever disasters that shook and shaped the capital
Then, disaster struck. As the plane approached Heathrow at around a quarter past midnight, a thick fog had descended, causing severe visibility problems. On the aircraft's third landing attempt, it smashed into the runway and skidded in flames for 1,500 yards.
The fire was said to have been so hot that it had melted the runway and the tail of the plane had "snapped off like a child's toy".
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The tragic incident, which claimed the lives of 36 passengers and crew, shocked the nation and made headlines worldwide. Much of the blame for the crash was sadly put on Captain Shackell.
The aftermath of the crash was captured in this harrowing footage made available online by British Pathé. Emergency services were met with a horrifying scene as the fiery wreckage of the Vickers Vanguard flight came into view.
Around half of the victims on board the fateful flight were from Edinburgh. A book of condolence was unveiled at Edinburgh Airport in 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.
Scots actor and Succession star Brian Cox has said his fear of flying stems from the 1965 crash. Then a young man, Cox was to take the BEA flight down to London for an audition with Sir Laurence Olivier but pulled out at the last minute.
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