R101

The R101 was a British Rigid Airship completed in 1929 as part of the Imperial Airship Scheme.

It left London, England on its first overseas voyage on 4 October 1930, bound for Karachi, in British India. Unbeknownst to nearly all aboard, its real mission was to rendezvous with the alien Triskele.

The rendezvous was set for the skies above northern France in the early morning of 5 October. As the designated hour approached, it was ordered by its commanders to be taken to 5000 feet, three times as high as it was designed to fly. There it was intercepted by a Triskele flying saucer and taken aboard the craft.

After its encounter with the Triskele, it returned to a safer altitude and resumed its voyage. Within moments, however, it was attacked by a Vortisaur and crashed into the fields of northern France. All aboard were killed.

Listed among the dead was a self-styled Edwardian adventuress: Charlotte Pollard, who had stowed aboard the R101 disguised as a crewmember and elected to travel with the Doctor. (BFA: Storm Warning)

Behind the Scenes
The R101 did exist and did crash into France on 5 October 1930--but there were six survivors, not zero, and aliens were presumably not involved.