This blog is an archive of photographs and articles which the author has kept over the years regarding to the crash of Turkish Airlines DC-10, “Ankara” on Sunday, March 3rd, 1974. It finally brings closure to a subject as fascinating in its circumstances.
The website is a place for visitors to comment or submit information about the accident. The blog is not aimed to rehash what is already known about the Turkish crash, but it is a place for historic remembrance to the victims and families who are still affected today by the tragic event.
For the passengers and crew of flight 981, registration TC-JAV, their lives were not given in vain as unsettling as they were taken. Their sacrifice, since then has made air travel much safer for millions of passengers.
To remember and understand, the conditions of the accident. This site will provide a forum and an exchange in preparation for the organization of an Association of Families of Victims of Flight THY-981 (leave a message or comment, and we will contact you, or email at bdruesne@orange.fr ).
It should be noted that a transcript of the official French report can be viewed under Rapport 1 to 5. For English readers the official English report has been upload. The report gives you a detailed account not documented with any other articles regarding the crash.
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Ce blog est une archive de photos et d’articles soigneusement collectés et relatifs à la catastrophe aérienne du 3 mars 1974 (le DC-10 n°29, baptisé “Ankara”).
Ce site est un lieu ouvert aux visiteurs pour consulter, commenter et/ou fournir des informations sur ce dramatique accident. L’objectif de ce site ne vise pas à réécrire l’histoire sur ce drame, mais il est un lieu de mémoire, dédié aux victimes et aux familles qui sont toujours, aujourd’hui encore, directement touchés par ce tragique événement.
Pour les passagers et membres d’équipage du vol THY981, immatriculé TC-JAV, leurs vies n’ont pas été donnés en vain. De cette tragédie, le transport aérien est devenu plus sûr pour des millions de passagers.
Nous souhaitons également que ce site, et son blog, permettent aux familles touchées par ce drame de garder, ou de nouer, un contact entre elles.
Pour savoir et se souvenir, ensemble, ce site pourra servir de lieu d’échange pour l’animation de l’Association des Familles des Victimes du Vol THY-981 (laisser un message ou un commentaire, ou envoyer un email à bdruesne@orange.fr ).
Rapport Final: De la Commission d’ Enquête sur l’accident de l’avion DC-10 TC-JAV des Turkish Airlines
Bruno Druesne All Rights Reserved
69 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 16, 2008 at 7:30 pm
antony
Was following this accident for years and was wondering if any of the pilots immediate family are still alive and can give their accounts
March 7, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Rob
Fantastic effort. This tragic incident has been a respectful fascination for me for many years and I’m pleased to see it recognised here.
For your information, there is a new documentary on the crash called ‘Behind Close Doors’ here airing on Mar 10th 2008.
http://natgeochannel.co.uk/photos/?id_m=142
Also, here is a YouTube link to a documentary on the crash from the UK made in 1996. It shows the memorial and has contributions from people involved, and is very moving.
Once again, thank you.
March 8, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Richard Bolai
Dear Rob,
Thank you for your remarks and to the link to the documentary. I do suspect the episode to be aired on National Geographic may favor towards sensationalism. No dramatized scenario can reflect on the shear panic the crew and passengers of TC-JAC experienced. They lost their very lives.
March 9, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Rob
Thank you Richard
I would add I have no connection with either link and have the greatest respect to your judgement and, of course, to the memories of those who perished.
May I also suggest for your reference section a book with an excellent and comprehensive account of the incidents cause, effect and ramifications to air travel. ‘Air Disaster Vol 1′ by Macarthur Job. ISBN: 1875671110.
June 3, 2008 at 10:10 am
Stephen
Is there a passenger list of the victims? I know that the Bury St. Edmunds Amateur Rugby Club Team were on board; also, some models and I think, a group of pensioners on a trip. I was 8 when this happened. I can remember the ITN evening news report, even to the presenter and the whole sombre atmosphere that evening and beyond. There was a documentary made not long afterwards, which went out on ITV (in England) and had contributions from (distraught) relatives. Very emotional and haunting. I could never, ever see a DC10 again without thinking of the Parish crash – and I still can’t.
June 4, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Richard Bolai
The passenger list is been prepared. There is a quote from the Bury St. Edmunds Amateur Rugby Club Team
The Club went from strength to strength until tragedy struck with the loss of 18 members of the Club in a plane crash. They lost their lives on a Club trip to Paris. Understandably it took the Bury St. Edmunds R.F.C. and the Town many years to recover.
December 10, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Didier
Désolé, mais je ne suis pas doué en langue Anglaise.
Merci aux créateurs de ce site qui sans jamais être gratuitement morbide malgrés les documents violents, retrace en détails les instants de cette catastrophe. Je travaillais à cette époque à Orly et ce terrible drame m’a douloureusement choqué.
A toutes fins utiles, il existe un livre très sérieux sur la catastrophe d’Ermenonville dont voici les indications :
Titres : Les 9 dernières minutes
Auteur : Moira Johnston (écrit en 1976)
Editeur : Belfond (Paris) 1977 version française
Format : 15×24 – 251 pages
Ce livre ne se trouve sans doute plus que d’occasion. Je l’ai moi même acheté d’occasion il y a une vingtaine d’année.
Il retrace en détail, le dernier jour et instant du vol 981, puis toute la suite juridique qui en découla.
Autre renseignement : Les victimes de ce drame reposent au cimetière parisien de Thiais près d’Orly ( banlieue sud de Paris).
January 7, 2009 at 1:48 am
Brian Robinson
Hi, my Godfather Tony Price age 39 was a passenger on THY981.
I was only 13 in 1974 and I still think about him very often, Tony did’nt have any Children of his own so he treated my Sister & myself as if we were his own Children.
He was my Fathers closest friend & was asked to be our Godfather because of his close friendship to our Family.
He was a very kind & thoughtful Man who took the role of being our Godfather very seriously.
Because Tony never Married or had his own Children I don’t think anyone else living remembers him now. But I do and I’ll never forget him, he was and still is my Godfather.
Thankyou for giving me this opportunity to leave my thoughts and respect here for him.
Brian.
January 7, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Richard Bolai
Dear Brian, thank you on your comment over your godfather, this is a place of healing to which many people are still affected, I would really like to introduce a page where one can submit a photograph detailing a note about their lives. This will give them the respect from their untimely and sudden passing. You can contact Bruno Druesne as he has formed an Association of Families of the Victims of the tragedy
bdruesne@wanadoo.fr
Thank you,
Richard Bolai
February 5, 2009 at 3:28 am
Harry Tam III
I was in grade 9 when this regrettable accident occurred. I recall reading about it in the paper. I regret for all the precious people who lost their lives, but for some reason I grieve especially for the college students and those younger. To this day, I remain heartbroken for the horror that everyone on board experienced as the tragedy unfolded. Words fail me. I hope to meet as many of these dear people as possible when the Lord calls.
February 18, 2009 at 4:14 am
Denise Bennett
I was in Sinop, Turkey (my husband was in the US Army at the time)when Flight 981 crashed. We were at our landlord’s house listening to the radio, when our landlord’s daughter got excited and told us about the crash. At first they reported it to be sabotage.
Days later the daughter had a magazine she bought abput the crash with lots of photos. One headline said “Bloody Forrest”, above a photo.
My husband had flown a THY DC-10 from Istanbul to Adana a couple months before. I always wondered if it had been the same plane.
I wish now I had bought copies of the magazine and newspapers on the crash, altho I couldn’t read them.
I would like to correspond with anyone who is interested in the crash, if anyone is interested.
It was such a horrendous tragedy, made more real by the fact we were in Turkey at the time.
February 18, 2009 at 4:15 am
Denise Bennett
I forgot to include my e-mail address in my letter above: dbennett5555@comcast.net
February 21, 2009 at 12:00 am
Richard Bolai
Dear Denise,
Turkish Airlines had acquired three DC-10 -10s, the likelihood that your husband flew on one of their fleets. There is a curiosity over this craft as I just came across a brochure showcasing this aircraft from 1973. It reads, Ce que c’est que voyager a bord de l’avion de plaisance DC-10 THY / What is it like to travel on board THY airplane of pleasure DC-10. Ominous in every respect because it shows inside TC-JAV. The orange upholstery is daunting
February 21, 2009 at 3:31 am
Harry Tam III
The front of the jacket of the book, DESTINATION DISASTER, features a color photo of a few of the seats that were hurled out of the TC-JAV on Mar 3 ’74. These were some of the seats over the left rear cargo door that were sucked out. The bodies had been removed, but you can see the orange upholstery of the seats. It’s a haunting photo that is difficult to erase from the mind. The seats in the photo are still partially buried in the soft soil of the field they landed in. (I understand that the field had just been tilled, so the soil was somewhat soft and spongy, as opposed to being hard-packed). If I remember correctly, there was a small teddy bear lying near the seats, presumably from one of the children on the flight. That adds to the poignancy of this terrible tragedy. My sympathy to all who lost loved ones on flight 981, and I am heartbroken for everyone who was on the flight.
May 16, 2011 at 2:16 am
Roberto
Not sure that those are the seats of the THY 981, since a similar picture is in this website and the seat is orange but another style of coach seat.
March 3, 2009 at 11:32 pm
mike arnstein
Thirty five years to the day I still remember with great love my girlfriend Kailan Wilcox, daughter of Wayne Wilcox (Cultural Attache to the American Embasssy in London) who died on that fateful day. All my love forever. Mike
September 21, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Terrance
I knew her when I was a child; My family was close friends with the Wilcoxes in New Rochelle, NY.
March 4, 2009 at 12:24 am
Richard Bolai
Dear Mike,
Thank you for remembering on the anniversary of a terrible day where your friend and her family lost their lives. May her passing be a reminder of her sacrifice she so fought clearly to live.
March 16, 2009 at 9:58 am
IsarSteve
A friend of Mine Keith Madge, his partner Peter Walsh, as well as his mother Mrs Joyce Hope were on the flight.
I think I heard once that Mrs Hope was one of the six passengers who were expelled from the aircraft..
I’ve written something about Keith on my blog here:
http://www.isarsteve.de/?p=903
March 16, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Richard Bolai
Dear Steve,
Your words posted on the link above is a reminder about loved and of your fond memory to keep Keith Madge alive more evident every March 3rd. His life was taken without regard on a airplane that had no soul thus taking unwilling the lives whose death shall be remembered for eternity.- His passing was swift and harmless.
March 22, 2009 at 2:29 am
candace wilson culp
Hello,
By chance I put my old friends name onto google thinking maybe one day a photo would pop up and suddenly I am at your web site. My friend was Pamela Sheel. Her photo appeared in the London Times after the accident and I always wished I had a copy of the picture.
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over the shock of her death, I didn’t know that she was on that airplane until many, many months later when a postcard I had sent her was received by her mother and she wrote to tell me the dreadful news…. She was a generous and loving young woman.
Candace Wilson Culp, USA
March 23, 2009 at 12:25 am
Richard Bolai
Dear Candace,
It is indeed my wish to have photographs and a short biography as part of this website. But it really boils down to the love and care which many readers like yourself express. Pamela Sheel’s death however came with great panic, she realized the end so faithfully, (God) knew why
March 26, 2009 at 11:29 am
Angela Walker
Dear Candace,
Pamela Sheel was my schoolfriend. I agree with everything you say about her; she was a really lovely person – warm, kind, and funny, and I too have never forgotten her.
I have the photo you mention from The Times, and would be happy to send you a copy.
Best wishes,
Angela.
March 26, 2009 at 3:03 pm
candace wilson culp
Dear Angela,
How kind you are…would you please email me as I don’t know how to contact you through this website (Richard Bofal just emailed me this morning to tell me of your response).
Really a copy of her photo would mean so much to me. Also I could tell you more about our brief friendship if you wish.
candace.culp@gmail.com
Thank you, candace
April 6, 2009 at 9:40 am
IsarSteve
I wrote above about Keith Madge and mentioned my blog:
http://www.isarsteve.de/?p=903
At the time I wrote that, I didn’t have a photographic record of Keith.
I now have been given a photograph and have now added it to my blog. For the first time in thirty-five years I can see his face.. and all the hurt of not being able to say a last goodbye to someone who meant much to me comes back..
June 5, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Richard Bolai
This person is willing to get in touch with a family.
“Bonjour,
Ce doit surement être à cause de l’actualité (airbus A330 Rio-Paris) que les souvenirs resurgissent. J’ai perdu ma copine Corinne LERENDU et ses parents dans l’accident du DC10, elle était ma voisine et nous étions proches de la famille. Je me rappelle que les jours précédents leur voyage, je n’avais pas voulu jouer avec elle, nous nous étions un peu chamaillées. Je la vois encore m’appeler et moi faire la sourde oreille. Elle touchait et jouait avec un bout de tuyau qu’elle a lancé dans le champs nous séparant…quand j’ai su plus tard cette catastrophe, j’ai récupéré ce morceau de tuyau, que j’ai reniflé, touché, gardé en espérant qu’il y avait encore dessus un peu d’elle…la famille…plus tard, nous avait rendu visite et nous avait donné tous les jouets, des vêtements….j’étais jeune mais je me suis toujours souvenu de cette petite fille. C’est un message pour sa famille (Corinne habitait à Andresy dans les Yvelines et moi en face de chez elle). Je ne l’ai jamais oubliée…
Nathalie FORT
July 2, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Peter Galloway
Our dear friend Pamela Sheels was a victim of this tragedy. She was 28 and a fashion model. She was on her way home from a photo shoot and since British Air was on strike, she hopped on Turkish Air 981. She was my sister’s room mate in London at the time.
She was a remarkable young lady, beautiful not on n body but in personality also. She had an effervescent demeanor and we were all instantly in love with her.
We still mss her.
September 19, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Nancy Galloway
Hey, bro,
How did you find this? I googled Pam’s name and there it was after all these years. Last year I visited the UK again and met up with two of her closest friends who are now close friends of mine – Alex Anderson and Sarah Rendell. We still remember and love Pam, a wonderful and kind girl and beautiful model to boot.
September 27, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Angela Walker
Dear Peter and Nancy,
Pam was a schoolfriend of mine, (see my earlier comment on 26th March). I would love to hear from any of her other friends, – yourselves or Alex or Sarah, – who might be interested in sharing memories of her. Let me know if so.
Best wishes,
Angela.
April 7, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Tony Hilton
I worked with Pam in 20, Piccadilly at Gevaert (later Agfa-Gevaert) next door to the Piccadilly Hotel, in 1965
I have always felt partly responsible for her death as I (being a photographer) suggested she became a model, and made her first composition sheet for her.
I was in South America when I heard of the tragedy in France, and often wondered if her parents or other family are still around, as I have those wonderful photos of her to this day.
I am now living in Sydney Australia, but will be in the UK in July and August this year.
Hoping to hear from anyone with news
Sincerely
Tony Hilton
April 8, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Richard Bolai
Dear Mr. Hilton,
I am the author of this website. Your comment add to the many to that of Pamela Sheels. This is the email of candace.culp@gmail.com, she was her flat mate. I think she would look forward to this.This site is also a dedication of the people who lost their lives, Would you permit to the site a more flattering portrait of her then that of the newspaper clipping, it would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
Richard Bolai
August 19, 2010 at 11:03 pm
Berny
Votre témoignage est trés émouvant et, 36 ans après me replonge dans des souvenirs douloureux. Ce Dimanche de Mars, j’avais accompagné un amour de jeunesse à Orly afin de prendre le vol BEA pour Londres… mais Martine a pris ce maudit vol et notre histoire s’est terminée aprés un dernier sourire et baiser devant une porte d’embarquement….
Je suis allé plusieurs fois sur le site d’Ermenonville et chaque fois j’ai vu la nature reprendre ses droits, les arbres replantés grandissent chaque année . J’ai eu l’occasion de voler de nombreuses fois sur DC 10 et chaque fois je pensais trés fort à elle et je ne l’ai jamais oubliée.
August 30, 2010 at 12:41 am
Anonymous
On n’oublie jamais un amour… et encore moins dans ces conditions… Je compatis…
September 4, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Anonymous
Bonjour Berny,
Ce site est là pour que tous nous gardions cette mémoire bien vivante, sur un espace enfin défini où chacun peut exprimer ou partager son douloureux souvenir.
Bruno Druesne
Fils de François Druesne (passager THY981) et co-fondateur du site
August 30, 2010 at 12:43 am
Anonymous
C’est vraiment émouvant…
July 15, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Pam Sarsby
I remember Lloyd Lewis, who perished on Flight 981. He was a Sports Reporter for the News of the World returning from a Wales/France match.
His daughter Pat was my friend and I visited his home in Cardiff many times.
I’ve often thought about him, over the years, and would dearly love to meet up with Pat again as we lost touch with each other before her father died.
To all those who lost loved ones in this tragedy, my thoughts are with you.
September 4, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Anonymous
Thank you for your message Pam.
Bruno Druesne
July 18, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Richard Bolai
Two of my friends died in this crash, Bobby Hart and Clark Wilcox. Both just 12 years old. I have fond memories of playing baseball, going to movies and just being in some of the same classes together. Even after all this time, the recent plane crashes (Air France flight 447, etc) bring back the sad and happy memories of childhood to me. I hope investigators learn the causes of such crashes and that the airline industry will be proactive and correct any known problems.
Chris Schappel
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, USA
September 20, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Terrance
Chris, my family was close friends with the Wilcoxes from New Rochelle days and I was Clark’s age. In our house, I first heard the news on the radio and told my father.Quite a shock.
May 1, 2012 at 4:50 pm
James
We were freinds wiht hem in New Rochelle and Mailbu.
July 18, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Richard Bolai
Dear Richard,
I just wanted to write and thank you for the memorial website. I am 39 years old, 40 this year, and I was 4 when my uncle was killed in this disaster – Robert William Wallis.
Your website has answered many of the questions I had in my mind of the event. As with all such things it is often the human element of such disasters that stay with you long after the event itself.
My uncle, who had that week qualified as an architect had taken a trip to Paris – a brief respite from his studies before continuing in his work newly qualified after seven years of study. I can remember my mother coming out into our garden on the sunday(?) telling my dad of the news of the crash that had just come on the television. My dad was was playing football with me and my younger brother at the time. My mother said ‘thank god we don’t know anybody due to travel today’. My uncle was not due to return until the Tuesday. It is that Tuesday that I will remember for the rest of my own life, even though I was just a small boy myself. On that Tuesday afternoon, my brother and I were scrapping on the stairs in our hallway and the phone rang. I can still see now so clearly my mum dropping the phone, screaming and running out of the front door. It had been her father telling my mum that her brother had been on the plane that had crashed. He had taken an earlier flight because of a BEA strike and he feared he wouldn’t get a plane back to London.
Thanks again for all your effort in piecing together lots of information and for such a comprehensive tribute to those who lost their lives.
Best wishes
James Sinclair
March 3, 2010 at 7:17 pm
shirley turkington
Thank you so much for all the work in this website. On this 36th anniversary, like all the others, I often think of my dad who was a passenger on the flight. Desmond Hunt, 47 from Belfast had taken a short break in Istanbul and sadly never came home. I was 18 and my sister 16. Needless to say the event had a devastating effect on our lives. He was a larger than life figure and greatly missed by us and obviously has missed out on so much – our weddings, the birth of his grandchildren and their lives.
My mum went to Paris a few weeks after the accident, just before the mass burial was to take place and fortunately was able to identify a wedding ring which meant we were able to bring him home for a final goodbye.
I visited the memorial a couple of times in the late 70′s with my mum but would love to go back some time with my own family.
Thank you again for all the time you have taken to give so many of us so much to hold on to.
Shirley Turkington
July 12, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Sascha Olofson
Dear Shirley
I am a TV producer in London making a documentary about this accident as part of a bigger series about improvements in the aviation world since 1970′s. I am trying to contact some of the relatives of those who were in the crash and I reach your entry on the forum, and well as some of the other touching entries.
I would very much like to talk to contact you direct. I work for World Media Rights in London and the series is for the channel Discovery.
can you please get in touch on sascha@worldmediarights.com
many thanks
Sascha
07961 124731
September 4, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Anonymous
Dear Shirley,
I am very happy that you and your family get some information and hopefully some friendly contacts in the site. Richard Bolai and myself did this site for that purpose. Many identifications were made by ‘rings’, so it was for my father.
kind regards
Bruno Druesne
July 12, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Jim Kalafus
Here is a link to a pair of professional photos of model Prudence Pratt, lost aboard flight 981:
http://www.modelscomposites.com/getlist.php?list=mod&choice=Prudence+Pratt&year=all
These are far different than the portrait and candid snapshot in The Last Nine Minutes.
The site has literally thousands of photos, and is easily searched by name.
I was unable to find photos of any of the other models. In the case of those who were married, such as Wendy Wheal, they are probably listed under their professional names. And, there are many models who opted to be listed as simply “Pamela” or”Wendy.”
July 13, 2010 at 4:22 am
Jim Kalafus
Hre is a link to a page about victim John Cooper, a former Olympic athlete. http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=8034
July 15, 2010 at 7:42 am
Ste
The forest memorial doesn’t contain the names of all the victims. Why is this?
September 4, 2010 at 4:45 pm
Anonymous
Dear Ste,
You are right, and this si something I would like to correct as not acceptable. Reasons for this are not klnown from my side, but of course we can help you in adding any name. Please contact us (our victimes THY981 association) on my email bdruesne@orange.fr.
Kind regards
Bruno Druesne
July 19, 2010 at 12:42 am
Jim Kalafus
Victim Michael Hannah is listed here as model/actor. He can be briefly seen in the sex farce THE SEX THIEF, which opened in April 1974. He plays the chauffeur. He may have done more film work, but his IMDB listing shows only two credits- both available on DVD.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0360302/
September 10, 2010 at 9:58 am
Laura Benson
My brother, Ronnie Smith, was on this flight…my only sibling and, after about 12 moves in our young lives and because of his wonderful sense of fun and humor, my best friend. My parents had spilt up two weeks before this. We were living in London as expats – far away from our extended family back in the States. Ronnie went with treasured friends, the Hart family, to get a bit of rest from the sadness within our home. I went on a ski trip with our school, The American School in London, to also get away and try to find my strength again.
All I heard or remembered about the crash was the story about the mechanic could not read and, thus, did not close the cargo door properly. From this, I dedicated my life to becoming a literacy teacher and, now, a literacy consultant…flying over 175,000 miles a year working to help all children all over the world learn to read…for my brother.
Laura Lynn Smith Benson
September 10, 2010 at 12:57 pm
mike arnstein
Hi Laura
I see you were at ASL does that mean you knew my girlfriend Kailan Wilcxox and her brother Wayne, they were onboard that fateful flight?
Maybe you knew Heather Whittington and her mother who taught English at ASL I believe?
Mike Arnstein
March 14, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Stephen Davis
Laura:
Your parents were friends of my parents back in London. My father was John Davis and my mother was Mary Davis. My father was an executive with Fluor and I went to the ASL. My girlfriend was Nancy Hart. She was so beautiful with such lovely long blond hair. I loved her very much and was devestated. We moved stateside not long after the crash. I have never forgotten.
September 1, 2011 at 12:25 am
Steve Raymor
The mechanic was fluent in three languages, none of which were english. Macdonald Douglas only put an english tag on the door. I think it’s horrible they coud have fixed the problem with the door two years earlier but chose not to spend the money to fix it right. I feel you cannot!!! put a price on human life or safete..
January 18, 2011 at 5:10 pm
William Johnstone
My lovely ‘Oriel Junior School’ teacher, Georgina Byatt, from Hanworth in West London was among those killed. The tragedy was made even worse because the school lollipop lady, Bessie Brown (a relative of Georgina’s), was also on the flight. I recall they’d been on a shopping trip to Paris. Words can’t express the grief that ensues from a tragedy like this. Though it happened 36 years ago, I can remember it as though it was yesterday. The shock throughout the school and our village was simply mind-numbing. God bless all those that perished, and their friends and families.
September 28, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Aaron Geeves
William
This terrible disaster is one I will never forget. I was in Mrs Byatt’s class at the time (2B) and can remember coming to school on the Monday morning having no knowledge of the air crash. I remember sitting in the classroom prior to morning assembly with another teacher taking the class. Some of us knew something was wrong as Mrs Moverley’s (first aid lady) daughter was in my class and was possibly aware of what happened as I remember her crying but she would not tell anyone why. We were then taken to morning assembly where Mr Singleton told us all the tragic news.
She was a great teacher and was sadly missed along with Mrs Brown, the ‘lollipop lady’
February 19, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Anna Berg nee Ellis
My father died in the crash, he and his rugby team had been to watch the rugby world cup, I was 10 and my brother tuned 8 that day! We were not the only family to loose a Dad/husband from Bury St Edmunds.
I was pleased to find this site.
I have never been to the memorial.
Anna B
March 14, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Stephen Davis
I can’t believe I found this information regarding the plane crash. My name is Steve Davis and I went to the American School in London. I was the boyfriend of Nancy Hart who with her entire family were killed in this crash. My father was John A. Davis who was an executive with the Fluor Corporation at that time and I know one of his close friends son was with the Hart’s on that day. I loved Nancy so much and her beatiful long blond hair still sticks in my mind all these years later. I will never forget my brother Bill and mysrlf had just returned from a ski trip with ASL and my parents told me they needed to talk to me. They looked so serious I thought I was in trouble. They told me the knoews and I was stunned. I was never the same and feared flying for years. I still dream about it and in fact had a dream last night which caused me to look up info on this tragedy. I met Nancy on an ASL ski trip to Ischle Austria a year or two before this. I have been back to ASL as I go to London often and hoped to see a memorial but did not see anything there. I have walked down SJW High Street many times over the years and glanced up the Harts flat where Nancy lived and thought why did it have to end so early for her.
April 6, 2011 at 12:14 am
Mike Gannon
Pam Sheel:
April 24, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Anonymous
I knew Pam when she wasn’t a famous model, in 1964 she was my tracer working at AVRO Chadderton she was aged about 18. The striking thing about Pam apart from her looks was her personality, she was fun to be with, never had anything bad to say about anyone, loyal and game for anything. Pam had a very close friend, a fellow tracer and they were inseperable they went everywhere together. Her friend came into work one morning and told us they had met a guy in a club who said he would make Pam a top model and he did. I left AVRo about this time to go to sea as an engineer and only found out about her death via the newspaper reports on the crash. I found it strange that Pam who had worked however briefly at an aircraft company had met her death in such a manner. I did read that her close friend attended Pam’s resting place each year on the anniversary. Only fond memories remain.
May 9, 2011 at 11:22 am
Steve, England
I’ve seen a couple of people who died in this accident mentioned in books over the last few years: Prudence Pratt, one of the models who died, is mentioned in ‘The Ossie Clark Diaries’. OC, the late fashion designer, visited a lawyer in 1974, after assaulting his ex/wife, and in an October (?)1974 entry he says the lawyer was a ‘sad guy’ who had lived with Pru Pratt, the model, who died in the Turkish air disaster.
Also, in Alan Bennett’s ‘Untold Stories’, AB talks about his friend, the journalist Francis Hope, dying in the crash and about Mr. Hope’s wife later giving away some of his collection of books.
I’m sure I’m accurate on both of these, though I don’t have the books to hand to take exact quotes from. Check them out for yourselves.
May 15, 2011 at 2:58 am
Roberto
Very interesting the website. I was 9 year old at that time and living in England. But I use to live in Argentina and 3 argentineans died in the crash, father, mother and daughter. The father, Pedro Pernia, was a very know script writer in Argentina kown as Jordan de la Cazuela, his artistic name, and was traveling on vacation with his wife Ilda and his younger daughter Alejandra Maria. His older daughter, now in her late 50′s early 60′s, is the only survivor of the family, married and with childrens. She received around 4 millon dollars between Turkish Airline and McDonals Douglas.
I also have the picture of all the crew of the THY 981, Pilots, Purser and Flight Attendants. I can mail it if you are interested.
June 4, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Nicholas Arthur
Last tuesday May 31st I went with my mother and daughter to the crash site to see the place where my father Brian Arthur`s life so sadly ended, he was 32 years old. He was a rugby player from England coming back from tour with his team mates after watching France versus England the previous day. To go to this crash site and memorial has always been too painful to contemplate but my mother is 72 years old now and she felt it was time to go to this place of devastation.
As we drew near the forest our hearts beat faster and an apprehension over came us as what to expect. To our surprise the forest was a tranquil, beautiful place, nature had established itself again. If there was ever a place to reconnect with Brian this was the place and in the old haunts of our home town in England that Brian frequented and the much loved rugby club that was such a focal point for the team`s life and passion for the game of rugby.
My mum has always been strong over the years and carried on with her life living a happy life raising my brother and I to live life with joy. That day as we drove away from the forest we said our goodbyes and the sun shone brighter than it had ever done that year.
August 22, 2011 at 8:53 pm
Mike Arnstein
Because I was so near the crash site last weekend I decided I really had to find the memorial I had found it diffiuclt to find clear directions but managed in the end to locate it – the right turn into the forest off the D126 is about 1.5 miles south of the junction of the N330 and you can then follow signs to the memorial. I found it strange to see my girlfriends name, Kailan Wilcox, engraved into the memorial wall together with the neames of her 3 family members who died with her. The forest is a peaceful place and the memorial is quite striking even after all this time. I still miss Kailan, her mother brother and father may their souls rest in peace – I will never forget them. This poem keeps them alive for me:
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.
September 18, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Anonymous
I have only just come across this website and have been moved by the tributes posted and the efforts of the author who has obviously taken considerable care and attention in reporting on this dreadful disaster.
I lost members of my family in this disaster and although I was only a child at the time, I remember that it affected my family greatly for many years to come as I am sure it did with all the other families involved.
Like alot of other families experiences, my family were not meant to be on that ill fated flight but due to the BA strike and unbeknown to us at the time, they took whatever flight was available to get them back to the UK. As much as we all still question today the ‘why’ and ‘if only’ of their travel schedule, it will never bring them back to us.
In just over two years, 3rd March 2014 will be the 40th Anniversary and I think it would be a fitting tribute to all those who perished to hold a memorial at the site in their memory.
No idea how this could be achieved but please keep me informed if this ever gets arranged.
Thank you again for all your efforts in creating this site and keeping the memory alive.
December 1, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Helen Bradley
My Grandfather, Ivor Bradley died in this horrific accident. Even though he is not able to be at all our family celebrations he is always spoken about and is missed every single day. i never got to meet my Grandfather but he plays the biggest part in my life, just as he would of if he was still with us. We visit the memorial as often as we can. I was devasted that parts of the plane have been put into black bin bags to be removed from the site. I believe everything should be left at the memorial.
My family will definately be there on the 40th Anniversary, as im sure many other family will be.
December 19, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Anonymous
I now know what you went through Janet. I am so sorry, so very sorry.
February 28, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Naomi Petty.
My Great Uncle, Micheal Townshend sadly died in this accident. I never had the opportunity to have ever met him, but my mother has such fond memories of him. He never married and had no children, so my mother and her sister were always treated well by him. He was the younger brother of my late Grandfather, who again I never got to meet as he passed away two years after the accident that took away his brother.
My Grandmother passed away a couple of years ago and whilst clearing the property we found the passport and credit cards that were recovered from the crash site still with debris in the pages of the passport. Micheal’s body was never indentified, so all we had from that sorrowful day were those items found. We have a postcard from Micheal which arrived after the accident, explaining details about his trip and wondering to what he would be eating on the flight. Rather haunting when looking at it, then realising to the devastation that afflicted so many unfortunate families.
Equally all together were newspaper cuttings, to which my Grandfather had done an interview. My Mother has a tape recording off the local radio station when the news was broken.
Would wish I just knew more, as my Mother would love to tie up all the loose ends about her dear Uncle. We never knew if Micheal had gone away with a friend possibly or if he was on his own at the time?
April 25, 2012 at 9:13 am
Andrew Jackson-Soutter
My dad Malcolm Jackson was on this flight, he had been working away from home and never returned, He worked as a fashion buyer for GUS and was returning from Hong Kong after a modeling assignment and was only on the flight as many others due to the strikes…… It would be nice to speak to someone in the same situation as me.
May 2, 2012 at 4:42 pm
Dejordy
James, I’d forgotten that we visited them in Malibu once.