Accidents and Incidents
On 27 August 1941, two aircraft, a RAF Blackburn Botha trainer and a Boulton Paul Defiant fighter, serials L6509 and N1745 respectively, collided in midair over the sea, just off Blackpool's central seafront. The debris from the collision was strewn over a large area but a large part of it struck the then Blackpool Central railway station causing severe damage and killing 12 people. Both aircraft had taken off from Blackpool Airport.
On 29 June 1972, a HFB-320 Hansa Jet, registration D-CASY crashed on take-off. The pilot attempted to abort the take-off but over shot the end of the runway, crossed some grass land to the airport boundary. The aircraft then crossed over railway lines and continued into a holiday camp immediately bordering the airport, demolishing six chalets, damaging several others and finally catching fire. 2 crew members and 5 of the 6 passengers were killed. Nobody in the holiday camp was hurt.
On 27 September 1982, Douglas C-47 G-AKNB of Harvest Air was damaged beyond economic repair in an accident at Blackpool Airport.
On 27 December 2006, a Eurocopter AS365N, registration G-BLUN, crashed into the Irish Sea, 24 miles offshore because of pilot error. There were 7 persons on board the helicopter, 5 passengers and 2 crew members. There have been 6 bodies recovered and the 7th body is still reported to be missing. The helicopter was based at Blackpool Airport and the flight had also originated from the Squires Gate base.
On 3 February 2007, a Piper PA-28 Cherokee registered G-BBBK was approaching the airport when it crashed on to the beach on the Fylde Coast. The flight had originated from Exeter Airport and was returning to the field following a VFR flight and was arriving in thick fog. The Cherokee missed the turn onto the final approach of Runway 10 and continued several miles North before running out of altitude and ending up on the beach between the Central and Southern piers. Both men were killed in the crash.
On 30 November 2008, Manx2.com flight NM104, a Let L-410, registration OK-UBA, operating a flight from the Isle of Man, made a hard landing on runway 10 which caused its starboard main landing gear to collapse causing significant damage to the aircraft's lower section. All of the passengers had to be evacuated on the runway, however, there were no injuries reported. The accident caused the airport to be closed for several hours causing many flights to be diverted. This included a Ryanair flight operating the daily flight from Girona which was diverted to Liverpool because of the blocked runway at Blackpool.
On 15 August 2012, there was a severe thunderstorm above Blackpool Airport and subsequently caused major flooding to the main runway and to the aircraft parking areas. An Aer Lingus Regional flight was diverted back to Dublin and caused the return flight from Blackpool to be cancelled. Also a Jet2.com flight from Malaga was diverted to Leeds Bradford before flying back to Blackpool later the same day. This was the first time in the airport's history the runways and parking areas were completely flooded.
Read more about this topic: Blackpool International Airport
Famous quotes containing the words accidents and/or incidents:
“We are the men of intrinsic value, who can strike our fortunes out of ourselves, whose worth is independent of accidents in life, or revolutions in government: we have heads to get money, and hearts to spend it.”
—George Farquhar (1678–1707)
“An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: great vices are made greater, great virtues greater also; interesting incidents are made more interesting, softer legends more soft.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)