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It somehow doesn't seem possible but the British Midland 737 Kegworth disaster was 30 years ago today:
BBC News - Kegworth - 30 years ago.

Yes, another sad example of Boeing 'adjusting' safety standards (not excluding BM cock-ups!) - I was told the new larger CFM engine was not fully flight tested and the computer simulations/projections for a bigger fan were 'accepted' for certification.

DanAir had a similar fan failure on an LGW-CDG sector in a 400 a day or so later, but this crew returned safely to LGW. The Captain told me they could not read the engine instruments due to the vibration, even with the motor windmilling.

PaWoody had something similar ex-LHR, not to much later, had to go and pick him up as he was so stressed.

I was living and working in the neighbourhood and passed by the crash site regularly.

In some respects the disaster could have been so much worse than it was.

When I did my IR theory courses at London Guildhall "University" back in the 90's, our esteemed lecturer, 'Rapid Ron', a great bloke, who had been a Navigator in the RAF in the 50's and the man with a mnemonic for every flying situation and every wheeze to get a pass in the exams, used the Kegworth accident as the primary study case in the CRM/Human Performance module. I can still hear him now talking about how the FO was presumed to have fixated on the setting the FMC "doubtless because that was he knew best, and both pilots overlooked the opportunity to land at their base because they had lost the bigger picture and CRM had broken down!"

Easy to judge in retrospect and none of us in that class were in that cockpit with vibration and confusing engine indications so I just raise my cup of tea to those two men who did their very best and who so almost got away with it that day.

https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/4-1990- ... nuary-1989

I wonder if either if them ever got into the air again. I remember reading at the time that both had been seriously injured. Very sad.

Caco

Thirty years, we should think about this chap too,

Still recovering

One of our Royal/VIP stewardesses had just left us and joined BM. She was sitting in the tail and stepped out with just a broken arm. Met her at a No.10 bun fight a few months later. She went straight back flying but I heard later that she had quit quite soon after.

Yes indeed Caco there was much to learn from that accident. 31 safety recommendations. It came up often in continuation training. Both pilots were dismissed. The Capt broke his back and ended up in a wheel chair. The F/O sued for unfair dismissal and won. Do not know if he got back flying.