Survivor's Harrowing Account of the 1989 Kegworth Air Disaster
Alice O'Hagan, a survivor of the catastrophic 1989 British Midland Airways Flight 092 crash, has revealed that doctors described her feet as being "like a bag of crisps" following the incident. The disaster, which occurred on January 8, 1989, claimed the lives of 47 people and left 74 others seriously injured, marking one of the deadliest aviation accidents in UK history.
The Fateful Flight from Heathrow to Belfast
Alice O'Hagan and her husband Eamon were passengers on British Midland Airways Flight 092, which departed Heathrow Airport for Belfast International at 7:52 PM as scheduled. The Boeing 737-400 climbed to 28,300 feet when a fan blade broke in the left engine, triggering a series of catastrophic events. Passengers reported hearing a loud pounding noise, feeling intense vibrations, and seeing smoke fill the cabin, alerting them to a severe problem.
The pilot, Captain Kevin Hunt, communicated with air traffic control and was advised to divert to East Midlands Airport. In a critical misstep, Captain Hunt disengaged the autopilot and shut down the right engine, mistakenly believing it was the source of the issue due to ventilation patterns in older Boeing 737 models. As the smoke cleared, he increased thrust to the defective left engine, which eventually burst into flames. Attempts to restart it failed, causing the plane to plummet and crash onto the M1 motorway near Kegworth, Leicestershire, at approximately 130 miles per hour.
Immediate Aftermath and Devastating Impact
The impact was devastating: the front section of the aircraft snapped off and crashed into an embankment on the south side of the carriageway, while the tail flipped over and landed upside down. Of the 126 people on board, 39 died instantly, with eight more succumbing to their injuries later, bringing the total death toll to 47. Alice and Eamon, seated at the front of the plane where most casualties occurred, recalled the terrifying moments before the crash. Alice described how the noise stopped after the right engine was cut off, leaving "complete and utter silence" as the plane descended without engines. She saw lights outside the window and knew a crash was imminent.
After the impact, Alice touched the cabin wall and felt it was hot, then noticed her ankles were severely damaged. She explained, "My ankle bones were severed, one of my heel bones was smashed, and all of my toes were broken. The doctor said to me my feet were like a bag of crisps, broken crisps, it was very painful." Medics at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham attempted to repair her ankles, but persistent pain in her right leg led to the difficult decision to amputate below the knee. Alice was not alone in suffering leg injuries; many survivors faced similar trauma, prompting a reevaluation of aviation safety protocols.
Legacy and Changes in Aviation Safety
The Kegworth disaster led to a significant overhaul in aviation safety, particularly regarding the brace position used during emergencies. Research conducted after the crash found that placing feet firmly on the ground and slightly behind the knees reduced the impact on legs during crashes. This revised brace position was implemented operationally in 1993, aiming to prevent similar injuries in future incidents.
In the aftermath, Captain Kevin Hunt and First Officer David McClelland faced criticism in the Air Accidents Investigation Branch report for their errors. Reflecting on the tragedy in 1991, Captain Hunt acknowledged the mistakes, stating, "We certainly made a mistake, we both made mistakes, certainly not deliberately, and the question we would like answered is why we made those mistakes." The incident remains a poignant reminder of the human cost of aviation accidents and the continuous need for improved safety measures.
