Kegworth air disaster: the BBC breaks the news

[@jaygill5795]

I was 4 years old and one of the first to arrive at the scene, my grandad was taking me to London for a boat show and we were travelling down the M1 when we spotted the plane in the sky with its engine on fire, I remember saying “it’s guna crash” my grandad said “don’t be silly”. The next thing I knew it was on the motorway in front of us. My grandads words when we pulled over were “stroll on!” And he got out and ran into the wreckage, he now has a bravery award on his living room wall for rescuing some of the passengers and crew, I don’t think my mum was happy that he left me in the camper van at 4 years of age on the hard shoulder alone but you can’t really blame him. I remember sitting in my seat surrounded by ambulances and fire engines busting for the toilet but in too much shock to get the potty which was under my seat lol. I never even took my seatbelt off and sat there for what seemed like hours. Eventually grandad came back and put me to bed, he got some waterproofs out of the cupboard and put them on before going back out to help. I somehow got to sleep in all the chaos and flashing lights on the hard shoulder and the next morning when I woke up we were in London going to a boat show. Can’t believe after everything my grandad must’ve seen he still took me there!

[@markhobster8113]

Jay Gill great Story Jay 👍 , Your Grandad is a great man !!

[@emielvanderwel5200]

Amazing

[@jaygill5795]

I have only just been alerted of the comments. Thank you and if I could post pics in here I would post the pic of the award as proof. My grandad is now in his 80’s and has Alzheimer’s but he was and still is a great man

[@emielvanderwel5200]

@@jaygill5795 I believe you, thanks for sharing it with us

[@jaygill5795]

@@emielvanderwel5200 thank you! it is the truth. I’m now 36 years old and this is one of my earliest memories.

[@kenstevens5065]

I drove past the spot about 30minutes before the crash with my wife and our two toddlers. We reached home and the newsflash came on TV only seconds after switching on. I have thought about the event regularly ever since and also thought about those who died as well as the survivors. This aircrash changed my views on life and made me appreciate all life much more than before. Now in old age I don't understand why the human race seems to be on what appears to many a path of destruction.

[@3gor73]

30 years ago too today thoughts to all those who lost their lives

[@kimsmith4563]

i was sat in a car with my boyfreind at the time,i remember we heard loads of sirens,then started seeing ambulances,we decided to follow and from a bridge above,we saw the plane down the bank,the area was a sea of lights,i cant believe its been over 27 years.rip to those that lost their lives

[@lardy70s]

@Ed Kahler how do you know that dummy?

[@flyc3]

Only it was a Boeing 737 and not a DC-9 BBC!

[@still_guns]

Early reports are rarely accurate

[@angeltransportpjects]

Unknown at this early stage. BD operated both types when this happened.

[@mercifulzeus01]

@@angeltransportpjects In which case the report should not have stated the aircraft type as fact. An editorial failure.

[@PrisonerMusic]

@@mercifulzeus01the 737s were very new in service and DC9s were what most people would have been familiar with on the domestic routes.

[@WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

Lockerbie, Hillsborough, Piper Alpha, Herald of Free Enterprise.... to name a few the late 80s had so many disasters in this country.....

[@ghassanjenainaty4212]

Same as Lebanon :( It was witnessing a civil war at that time

[@scootermom1791]

There were definitely an excessive amount of disasters of the man-made kind in the 80's...the 70's, too. Thankfully as far as flying goes, they've improved flying techniques and the structure of airplanes as a result of these accidents.

[@scootermom1791]

​@@ghassanjenainaty4212yeah, there always seemed to be something on the news about fighting going on there. I was a kid and didn't understand what it was all about. But I remember being thankful that I didn't live there!

[@ghassanjneinaty4421]

​@@scootermom1791you are so rude. At least it will be kind from you to wish peace for the situation plagued this country. Either be kind or spare us your silence please

[@scootermom1791]

@@ghassanjneinaty4421 all I did was agree with you (should I have disagreed??). And I added that I remember always seeing something showing on the news about the fighting in Lebanon in the 80's, which was a fact. And yes, I said I was grateful, when I was a child, that I didn't live there. What kid would WANT to Iive in a country where their family and friends could get killed everyday? What kid would want to live witnessing violence every day?? So, sorry if you think that's "rude." I certainly didn't mean it that way!!

[@charitychase5268]

Was supposed to be on this flight missed it by minutes still have nightmares to this day

[@pianoman1396]

About three weeks after Lockerbie; everyone thought it was happening again at first. This was at about 7:30pm on a Sunday night, so the motorway was practically deserted at the time.

[@angeltransportpjects]

This has been remembered with a memorial service held in Kegworth itself and this was absolutely ram packed! 30 years ago when I was 16 ... Still remember when the news of this broke and the initial reports suggested it was actually a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 which had come down. But first clear view of 'G-OBME' on the tail end and I realised something involving an aircraft which only went into service on December 29th 1988 had happened instead. I'm also now quite good friends with the gentleman whose responsibility it was to sign off the cabin safety equipment on G-OBME before it was position flighted from East Midlands Airport where BD's main operating base was to London Heathrow: Barely two days later ... This.

[@WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

30 years ago now :( 2019

[@Sheza58]

Absolute no marks criticising the BBC for getting the plane wrong.

[@laptopowiec78]

25 years ago RIP!

[@emielvanderwel5200]

Time flies

[@scootermom1791]

It wasn't a DC 9. It was a 737. And it didn't land ON the motorway, thank goodness, it crashed into the bank BY the motorway. Sheesh! They didn't even know how to get their facts right back then either. The witness was really good at describing what he saw. He must have had some knowledge of flying airplanes. Maybe he was a pilot.

[@Samara.Weaving]

Amazing hoq smartphones and clever app designers and developers have changed things. If a crash of this nature happened today, you can best it would be live streamed instantly online.

[@Samara.Weaving]

* how *

[@LeicestermercuryCoUk]

Here's more information about the crash: www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/what-caused-kegworth-air-disaster-2361898

[@Samara.Weaving]

Amazing how smartphones and clever app designers and developers have changed things. If something of this nature too place nowadays, you can bet it would be live streamed instantly online with a global reach. Say what you want about smartphones and modern day technology but I wouldn't have it any other way.

[@ChubbyT-Rex43]

Dc9 I thought 737 400

[@kennethwarburton177]

DC9 ?..

[@LeicestermercuryCoUk]

The astonishing tale of a Kegworth air crash survivor, 30 years on: www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/kegworth-air-disaster-survivor-hoping-2381215

[@trains_thru_the_lens]

BBC!!!! It's Boeing 737-400 Not DC-9

[@jemmedia1845]

You sad bastard. It was a very early report.

[@daredevil3744]

It’s a 737 not a DC9 are you blind?

[@bmc9504]

The plane they show is a DC-9, are you blind? The crashed plane was a B734

[@bmc9504]

B734 not a DC-9....

[@EW00AW04]

BBC couldn’t even get the plane right