What caused the Kegworth air disaster, when was the plane crash and who were the victims?
ON January 8, 1989, one of Britain's worst air disasters rocked the nation, killing 47 people.
A Boeing 737 carrying 126 people plummeted into the M1 in Leicestershire. Here we reflect on the disaster on its 30th anniversary.
When was the disaster and what caused it?
Disaster struck shortly after the British Midland Boeing 737 took off from Heathrow at 7.52pm, bound for Belfast International Airport.
After climbing to 28,300 feet, a blade detached from the fan of the left port and a pounding noise was suddenly heard, along with severe vibrations.
Smoke began pouring into the cabin of Flight BD 092 through the ventilation system.
The plane was diverted to nearby East Midlands Airport at the suggestion of British Midland Airways Operations.
Confusion about which engine had dropped out led to Captain Kevin Hunt and his co-pilot David McClelland shutting down the right engine, when the issue was in the left engine.
This left the plane gliding.
During the final approach to the airport, fuel was pumped into the damaged engine to maintain speed, which caused it to stop working and burst into flames.
Just before crossing the M1 motorway at 8.24pm, the plane's tail struck the ground and the aircraft bounced back into the air and over the motorway.
Knocking down trees and a lamp post, the plane then crashed on to the far embankment and broke into three pieces on the northbound carriageway of the M1.
Remarkably, there were no cars or lorries travelling on that section of the motorway at the moment of the crash.
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Who were the victims of the crash?
Of the 118 passengers on board, 39 were killed outright in the crash and eight died later of their injuries, for a total of 47 fatalities.
All eight members of the crew survived, but of the total 79 survivors, 74 suffered serious injuries.
Five firefighters also suffered minor injuries during the rescue operation.
A former Royal Marine was driving nearby when the crash happened.
Graham Pearson helped passengers for over three hours.
He subsequently sued British Midland in 1998 and received £57,000 in damages (£95,000 today).
Anne Hazard, an air stewardess on the flight, suffered a broken arm and several fractures to her spine.
She also helped tend to the injured on the ground.