JoeyB Posted 8 January 2009 Posted 8 January 2009 Since the Kegworth Air Disaster struck. 20 years on, memories of a crash survivor:When the grinding sounds began echoing through the cabin, Nick Stevenson stayed calm. He knew flight BD92 was in trouble, but he also knew they could land on a single engine. There was no reason, he told himself, why they should not make it down safely. Click here! He had boarded the plane with business partner Chris Thompson at Heathrow that night after a day at the London Boat Show. They were heading back to Northern Ireland, where they ran – and still run – a chain of outdoor sports shops. For Nick, from near Belfast – then 30 and with a 10-month-old baby, Katie – life was good. He said: "Everything was pretty normal. We were sitting at the very front, on the right-hand side. "Then, about 10 minutes into the journey, there was an almighty clanging noise. It sounded like somebody was outside, trying to get in. "I knew it was the engine, but I wasn't overly concerned – I knew the plane was capable of flying and landing on one engine. My mouth was a bit dry, but I kept saying to myself we could land. "A few moments later, the captain came on and said we were diverting to East Midlands. "The vibrations started when we banked to line up with the runway. The juddering was so powerful, I couldn't even see the person next to me. I thought the aircraft would fall apart. "About 10 seconds before we hit the ground, there was a sudden bang, then silence. I'm sure I could hear the sound of wind passing. It was like a dream. "The last thing I remember was thinking 'nobody survives a plane crash'." He pushed his legs back under the chair and put his head in his hands in the brace position. Then he remembers nothing. Nick does not know how long he lay unconscious. When he came to, his instincts told him to scramble over the suitcases scattered about him and get out. "When I stood up, my seat was still attached to me. I could see a huge hole in the side of the plane. I had ended up inside the hold. "I looked down and saw my foot pointing the wrong way. "I was preparing to jump when I saw two guys coming up the embankment. They pulled me out and lay me on the hard shoulder." Half-an-hour later, a fireman put a makeshift splint on his snapped leg. Then a doctor came. It was 90 minutes before he could be taken to hospital. Throughout, a young woman he thinks said she was a dental nurse sat with him and helped keep him warm. Nick was able to ring his wife, Dorothea, from Leicester Royal Infirmary, where he was treated for a broken femur, chipped vertebrae and bumps and bruises. Within hours, friends and family were at his bedside He had no idea where his business partner, Chris, was – whether he was even alive – until news came through from Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, that he was there with badly injured legs. Nick, who was moved to a ward in Belfast a week later, spent three weeks in hospital. They were the fortunate ones, he said. The survivors. He said: "I'm in the very lucky position where I survived, both physically and mentally. "I've had a few niggles with my left leg, but other than that I'm okay. It's part of my life, but I can't let it control or dominate me. It's an experience I've had and I'm glad to be here after it. "It's hard to believe it was 20 years ago." Today, he said, would be a normal working day – but he would be thinking of those who died. Link I know some people are too young to remember it, i know i am. Just thought we should remember the people who lost their lives in it.
Sparky Posted 8 January 2009 Posted 8 January 2009 The missus dad was 1 of the 1st on the scene as he was standing by at EMA after being briefed(he is a paramedic) , a story he told me was a guy walking on the motorway asking if he could help , it was presumed that the guy had got out of his car on the motorway when infact he was a passenger on the plane and escaped without injury !!
JoeyB Posted 8 January 2009 Author Posted 8 January 2009 I literally live 30 seconds away from where it happened. All of the people who live around me more than likely helped in someway.
Bellend Sebastian Posted 8 January 2009 Posted 8 January 2009 I woke up to it on my 14th birthday. 'Happy Birthday, son - by the way, there's been a massive plane crash just up the motorway'. I could be wrong but is this the last time fare paying passengers were killed on a plane in the UK? I'm struggling to recall anything since. It's the sort of thing that puts people off flying, but it just goes to show that it's mercifully rare
Katy Posted 8 January 2009 Posted 8 January 2009 I woke up to it on my 14th birthday. 'Happy Birthday, son - by the way, there's been a massive plane crash just up the motorway'.I could be wrong but is this the last time fare paying passengers were killed on a plane in the UK? I'm struggling to recall anything since. It's the sort of thing that puts people off flying, but it just goes to show that it's mercifully rare Yeah, I was 14 too. Happy Birthday! I remember the news coverage like it was yesterday. 20 years? Christ!
Bellend Sebastian Posted 8 January 2009 Posted 8 January 2009 Yeah, I was 14 too. Happy Birthday! I remember the news coverage like it was yesterday. 20 years? Christ! It's actually tomorrow (the crash was in the evening of the 8th), but you're very kind - thank you! It does seem scarily recent
Katy Posted 8 January 2009 Posted 8 January 2009 It's actually tomorrow (the crash was in the evening of the 8th), but you're very kind - thank you!It does seem scarily recent You're welcome. This is true, I actually remember the news coverage like it was tonight then
purpleronnie Posted 8 January 2009 Posted 8 January 2009 I remember it quite well I used to play against Kegworth town and I remember the match being called off out of rememberance. I was 14 too...
Webbo Posted 8 January 2009 Posted 8 January 2009 They were covering this on Radio Leicester this morning, they were interviewing some of the residents of Kegworth and they were saying 'we just want to mourn on our own' in a sorrowful tone of voice. Considering most of the passengers were from NI and probably didn't know anyone in Kegworth, who are they mourning?It was 20 years ago, unless 1 of the victims was a close relative why should anyone mourn? I really do detest this fake sentimentality.
JoeyB Posted 8 January 2009 Author Posted 8 January 2009 They were covering this on Radio Leicester this morning, they were interviewing some of the residents of Kegworth and they were saying 'we just want to mourn on our own' in a sorrowful tone of voice. Considering most of the passengers were from NI and probably didn't know anyone in Kegworth, who are they mourning?It was 20 years ago, unless 1 of the victims was a close relative why should anyone mourn?I really do detest this fake sentimentality. As i understand it, their were a few people near by who went to help and died.
Alexikokopops Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 As i understand it, their were a few people near by who went to help and died. All 47 people who died were passengers on the plane. A man driving along the M1 (not from Kegworth) suffered post-traumatic stress disorder http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/54915.stm
Thracian Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 They were covering this on Radio Leicester this morning, they were interviewing some of the residents of Kegworth and they were saying 'we just want to mourn on our own' in a sorrowful tone of voice. Considering most of the passengers were from NI and probably didn't know anyone in Kegworth, who are they mourning?It was 20 years ago, unless 1 of the victims was a close relative why should anyone mourn?I really do detest this fake sentimentality. It's funny how tragedy can affect you and why. The son of my mum's brother is a jumbo jet pilot based in Belfast - and every major plane crash seems potentially personal because he flies so often and carries so many people. I was also on weekend duty as an 18-year-old journo the day the Stockport air crash happened and can still remember the bulletins coming in and the extent of the tragedy unravelling. http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/ar...h_feature.shtml It was my first experience of a newspaper office coping with a major disaster and the Kegworth crash and it left me numbed. The Kegworth crash only revived those memories, especially with driving past the crash site so often and playing squash so many times at the Kegworth club which was virtually underneath the flight path and not a few hundred yards from where the plane crashed. Things like that do bring tragedies closer and there is nothing fake about feeling for the victims wherever they are from. I am quite sure the people of Kegworth felt especially close to the event and have never forgotten its impact on them. Many would work at the airport or know people who worked there. And the crash was so near to their homes and their schools. They would be just like the residents of Stockport and Lockerbie. the crash would have left its mark for the rest of their lives.
Head Honcho Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 It's funny how tragedy can affect you and why. The son of my mum's brother is a jumbo jet pilot based in Belfast - and every major plane crash seems potentially personal because he flies so often and carries so many people. I was also on weekend duty as an 18-year-old journo the day the Stockport air crash happened and can still remember the bulletins coming in and the extent of the tragedy unravelling. http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/ar...h_feature.shtml It was my first experience of a newspaper office coping with a major disaster and the Kegworth crash and it left me numbed. The Kegworth crash only revived those memories, especially with driving past the crash site so often and playing squash so many times at the Kegworth club which was virtually underneath the flight path and not a few hundred yards from where the plane crashed. Things like that do bring tragedies closer and there is nothing fake about feeling for the victims wherever they are from. I am quite sure the people of Kegworth felt especially close to the event and have never forgotten its impact on them. Many would work at the airport or know people who worked there. And the crash was so near to their homes and their schools. They would be just like the residents of Stockport and Lockerbie. the crash would have left its mark for the rest of their lives. My family are from Lockerbie and you're right even though they'd moved away years before the disaster they still even now feel some kind of deep empathy about what happened.
Fox You Forest Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 I remember it quite well I used to play against Kegworth town and I remember the match being called off out of rememberance. I was 14 too... Yeah I've played there quite a few times, It's just on the other side of the road.
Guest Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 I remember the crash, and we knew something was going off, because for about an hour before the breaking news report on the tv, we could here the emergency vehicles travelling up and down the A6 through Birstall. When they said there had been a plane crash, I remember feeling quite sick. You never expect anything like that to happen just down the road. Even though, like some others on here, I was just 14 years old at the time, I really wanted to go and help. I even asked my parents to take me, and they said "what are you going to do that the firemen and paramedics can't do?", and I said "hand out blankets or sit with people who are trapped". I can be a right soft sap at times!
Monk Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 I remember this happening on TV, mind I was only 7 at the time so I don't remember much! It was awful, but I guess we can be thankful that kind of crash doesn't happen much these days.
Zingari Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 I remember the crash, and we knew something was going off, because for about an hour before the breaking news report on the tv, we could here the emergency vehicles travelling up and down the A6 through Birstall. When they said there had been a plane crash, I remember feeling quite sick. You never expect anything like that to happen just down the road. Even though, like some others on here, I was just 14 years old at the time, I really wanted to go and help. I even asked my parents to take me, and they said "what are you going to do that the firemen and paramedics can't do?", and I said "hand out blankets or sit with people who are trapped". I can be a right soft sap at times! Maybe you are too young to remember it, but reading that reminded me of Bradley Hardacre's daughter Charlotte in the old 80s tv comedy series Brass
Katy Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 Maybe you are too young to remember it, but reading that reminded me of Bradley Hardacre's daughter Charlotte in the old 80s tv comedy series Brass I used to love that programme! Can we just get one thing straight, is Kegworth officially in Leicestershire or Snottinghamshire? I ask because teletext called it a 'village in Nottinghamshire'
Zingari Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 I used to love that programme!Can we just get one thing straight, is Kegworth officially in Leicestershire or Snottinghamshire? I ask because teletext called it a 'village in Nottinghamshire' derbyshire claim it i think
Alexikokopops Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 The son of my mum's brother... So your cousin then? Can we just get one thing straight, is Kegworth officially in Leicestershire or Snottinghamshire? I ask because teletext called it a 'village in Nottinghamshire' Leicestershire according to Wikipedia and Google Maps
purpleronnie Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 Yeah I've played there quite a few times, It's just on the other side of the road. Blimey I didnt realise it was that close.
Katy Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 derbyshire claim it i think That's Castle Donnington though isn't it? Isn't the village in Derbyshire and the race track in Leicestershire? So your cousin then?Leicestershire according to Wikipedia and Google Maps Right teletext, I'm going to kick your ass!
Durnerz Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 I was only 3 but my dad went from our village to help them out (around 8 miles).
Zingari Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 That's Castle Donnington though isn't it? Isn't the village in Derbyshire and the race track in Leicestershire? kegworth has derby postcodes i think , but probably it is in the historic boundary of leicestershire
Alexikokopops Posted 9 January 2009 Posted 9 January 2009 kegworth has derby postcodes i think , but probably it is in the historic boundary of leicestershire About half of Lincolnshire has Nottingham and Peterborough postcodes.
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