M1 plane crash victims recalled

Ten years ago today 47 people, most from the North, died when British Midland flight BD92 from Heathrow to Belfast crashed on…

Ten years ago today 47 people, most from the North, died when British Midland flight BD92 from Heathrow to Belfast crashed on the M1 motorway near Kegworth village in the English midlands.

This Sunday, prayers for the dead and injured will be said at Belfast's St Anne's Cathedral during the 11 a.m. service. But relatives of some of the dead are dismayed that no official memorial ceremony will be held in the North.

Passenger Mr Chris Thompson, then 33, remembers the final minutes of the flight. "There was a huge bang. I could see blue smoke coming out of the cockpit. The plane vibrated so much you could hardly see what was in front of you. There was a burnt smell everywhere. Then the captain came on and reassured us that everything was under control." When the other engine developed trouble, "there was total panic".

The pilot had to shut down the second engine. Mr Thompson's last recollection is of the lights of the motorway rapidly drawing nearer.

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He was trapped for 2 1/2 hours in the wreckage with a fractured skull and shattered legs and ankles. After spending six months in hospital, it took him another 18 months to recover. "Of course, psychologically, you can never forget something like this."

Mr Thompson helped to found the Air Safety Action Group which, among other things, campaigned for the recommendations of the crash investigation to be implemented. The Air Accident Investigation Bureau made 31 recommendations. Mr Thompson claims only a handful have been fully implemented. British Midland says it immediately complied with all relevant recommendations.

In a statement, the airline says: "British Midland has no corporate plans to mark this event, as the company respects the wishes of those individuals who wish to remember the occasion in their own private way."