Personal items from the crash on display in the hope that the owners may be identified
A record of comments
Anonymous - Under Memorial or see comments on the accident
My father died in this crash. He was French, 36 years old and let a family: his wife with 5 children aged at that time 6,5yo, 5,5yo, 4,5yo, 2,5yo and the last one only 10 months.
Thank you for this compiling job as it is very hard to find information on this terrible event.
If you may have interest, I could supply to you some materials that I found.
Also I do have a question, why did you made this site? Had you been directly or indirectly affected by this event?
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As a child, I remembered hearing reports over the radio that a plane had crashed into a forest. My first thoughts was that the trees were soft so no body got hurt. Yet, I was too young to comprehend what really happen. Since then, it has been a bazaar fascination with this particular accident. And this is where I began to collect articles regarding the crash over the years.
Until your message, I was indirectly affected by this event? The website is a place of remembrance from an accident which you father gave his life, in the mayhem of his last moments, yet he saved many others. I can explain the fascination, I feel I am part of it somehow but also it brings closure to me. Thank you so much for being part of its remembrance.
Best regards,
Richard Bolai
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Brendan Kershaw - Under Ermenonville falls to many
Looking at these terrible scenes of the crash site it really does make your blood run cold! Its virtually impossible to imagine what it must have been like for the people involved, not only friends and family but police and investigators who were faced with a nothing short of horrific task of clearing endless wreckage and victims! A terrible catastrophe!
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Brendan Kershaw - Under Memorial
As a small child I can remember seeing this horrific smash on television. I think it was the worst in the world ever back then; and not hard to see why.The first accident involving a fully laden wide body airliner since they came into service.I plan to take a trip on eurostar to paris soon and will visit the accident site to pay my respects. A terrible tragedy for everyone involved.God bless everyone who were on board. Best wishes Brendan Kershaw
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Anonymous - Le site d’Ermenonville
Site très attendu. Ce crash a brisé la famille. Pourriez vous donner une liste des victimes ? Wikipedia a établi un lien externe, je ne vous avais pas remarque. Bravo ! (en 2005, le livre du romancier C. Morel De Sarcus -il est épuisé malheureusement mais on le trouve encore chez Tschann 125 boulevard Montparnasse et peu etre ailleurs-”Le masculin l’emporte” relate toute la catastrophe avec precisions) merci pour nos oublies
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TANGO - Le site d’Ermenonville
Enfin un site construit sur la plus grande catastrophe aérienne de France…
Plus encore de photos, coupures presse svp. Ok pour le livre cité meme si auteur très special mais infos bea corrects. Il y a eu une emission tv autour de ce bouquin avec photos exclusives je crois arte mais a verifier. Pouvez vous proposer videos sur le crash. Et la photo du medecin d’orry la ville parue France soir. Enfin un plan de vol du tk. Un afficionados.
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JEAN PHILIPPE STRASBOURG - Le site d’Ermenonville
BRAVO. TRES CLAIR ET BONNE DOCU. AI PENSE A L’AIRBUS QUI S’EST ECRASE CHEZ NOUS SUR LA FORET. DOMMAGE QU IL Y AIT TROP DE TEXTES EN ANGLAIS.
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Antony - About
Was following this accident for years and was wondering if any of the pilots immediate family are still alive and can give their accounts
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Rob - About
Fantastic effort. This tragic incident has been a respectful fascination for me for many years and I’m pleased to see it recognized 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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0N5l1-IcQE
Once again, thank you.
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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.
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Rob - About
Thank you Richard
I would add I have no connection with either link and have the greatest respect to your judgment 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.
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My mother spoke little French so it was very difficult for her to get any information. I remember her sitting by the phone and crying in frustration because my father had not called from Africa and she could not get any details from the airline because they didn’t have a complete passenger manifest. Given the headline in the paper, she was fearing the worst but couldn’t get confirmation.
A couple of days later it was evident that my father was missing and likely on the ill-fated DC-10. A week after the accident, we went to the crash site in the forest north of Charles-de-Gaulle airport. The trees were cleared out for 1000 yards where the plane had come down. There were still small part of the plane scattered everywhere. I remember looking up into the standing trees and seeing people’s clothes and parts of people belongings. My brother and I went through piles of people belongings that had been recovered from the site in hopes of finding something that belonged to my father. We later identified a bent and damaged ring that he was wearing. We also found his melted briefcase handle with his initials visible.
Most of the victims bodies/parts were placed in a mass grave in Paris. Fortunately my father’s body was identified by dental records and he was buried back in the United States.
In 2001, I was in Paris on business and I had a free afternoon. I took the train to Ermonville and then found a taxi driver who helped me find the crash site in the forest. I could still see the impact area of the plane because of the small trees in the area. Today there is a granite memorial with the names of the victims engraved. There are still small pieces of the plane throughout the crash site. Many of the visitors have taken pieces and placed them at the base of the monument, along with several human bones that were also found in the area.
It is a very beautiful and peaceful place but 30 years ago the events that took place there and the people that were lost had a lasting impact on hundreds of lives, including my family.”
–Michael Chard (son of Gary Chard)
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” I wasn’t in the world when that tragic accident happened. However I can guess the terrifying dimensions of this incident. I learned that my uncle’s closer classmate had lost her life in DC-10 disaster while she had been flying to London for studying English literature. And during the rescue workings, her squared, red trouser had been found and given to her depressed parents. And as a Turkish citizen, I want to give a short information. In the Ermenonville disaster, 47 Turkish passengers were killed. The name of the passenger that I have mentioned above was Gunselı Yoruker.”
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“Having been an aviation and airline Manager for many years I have followed these disasters quite rigorously. I have a copy of Moira Johnston’s The Last Nine Minutes and this details the entire episode of THY flt # 981. I lived the days when the latch over spools were a spill over to the L1011 and lights were common failures in confirmation. The inability of the manufacturer to sense the requirements for pivotal pressurization in larger aircraft and develop alternative venting systems beyond the 3.1 psi floor strength seemed to stagnate the industry, but then again who knew that the doubling of the size of aircraft hulls would result in cubed ratio of pressure and any cummulative effects ie door mechanisms, would provide that explosive charge that would disrupt cable mechanisms and severe the pilots control of the aircraft. The famous axiom is “would it work in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan” in other words, placards in english and 1″ diameter viewing ports in a blinding snow storm at sub zero temps do not invoke the confidence that passengers would require from a baggage handler or mechanic on the run. It is time to error proof these systems people and make them kaizen or error proof.”
- Brett
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R.S.Bolai / B.Druesne © 2008
I remember this event even though I was very young at the time.
The ‘lollipop lady’ who used to help me and my fellow pupils across the road outside our school was on board. I have been trying to find a passenger manifest in the hope that I can pick out her name.
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Nathalie VANEL
Bravo pour ce site plein d’émotions. Je n’avais que 4 ans, mais je suis retournée à la “mer de sable” et le souvenir de ce terrible accident sétait enfoui en moi depuis tout ce temps. e pense surtout aux familles, et je suis aujourd’hui, adulte de tout coeur avec eux.
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One of the stewardesses of the flight, Rona Altinay, was killed in the accident. She was my mom’s childhood friend. I was only 4 when we heard the sad news on the radio in one evening. Even today we talk about her and the accident. This is a great site as it provides full coverage. I did not know about the memorial and videos until I found this site. I hope we don’t forget them and remember their memory. - Taylan
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Je suis tombée par hasard sur ce site. En 1974 , j'etais en poste pour Air France à Orly , j'ai été profondement marquée par l'accident au point de n 'avoir plus jamais été me promener dans la foret d' E rmenonville, il m'est arrivé souvent de penser a tous ces jeunes orphelins, espérant que , malgré tout , ils aient pu construire une vie satisfaisante, si on peut dire !! Toutes mes pensées vont à eux. Jacqueline Faggianelli
The U.S.A built DC 10 became a “No fly Plane for myself and many others I know. Its record of incidents of trouble is a disgrace.
I was shocked to find out during this documentary ,it wasn’t an acciident, Mcdonald Douglas knew about the problem with the cargo door during pressure tests in development- Such a shame that Giant corporations put the lives of others in mortal danger due to their Greed. To all the vitims - RIP. I hope to visit the site to pay my repects one day.
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Costas
Athens, Greece.
Mit freundlichen Grüssen aus Istanbul,
Thanks for the article, Milton Safran was my children’s grandfather. It is with great sadness I must say I never met Milton. His son Michael followed in his footsteps and those of his grandfather Joseph Safran and owns Safran’s Antiques.
Janet K. Safran
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I was happily amazed to stumble across this site and see that so many cared . My passport states that i was born in bury St. Edmunds, a town forever linked with this terrible tragedy. This incident took place when I was 8 years old and took away several of fathers friends from before and when I was tot. Their pictures are still dotted around his house today in the background at weddings etc . I believe one chap even lodged in our house. The incident served as reference point in my life . My father might have perished himself but for circumstances and I have always felt a grim empathy for the children whose lives were shattered that Sunday afternoon.
At the time of the crash my family lived abroad. In an age long before e mail and mobiles word didn't filter through for a week or so . We received cutting from the daily mail and others with pictures of his friends with DEAD before their names . I can remeber my mother screaming up stairs and my fathers bewildered hurt look when he came home from work . One chap was pictured in the suit he had worn to my parent wedding . Why didn't their seatbelt save them I innocently asked having recently just flown on a wide bodied jet for the first time?. Also it the sheer circumstances of time and place that stalks our lives followed by the cruel reality that events have taken place that can never be erased .
I saw footage of the rugby match that many of the victims attended the previous afternoon. A glorious sunny afternoon in Paris, the English supporters celebrating wildly the try scored by David Duckham. As the camera focusing on the crowd you realize that some of the smiling excited faces have just 22 hours to live. I have wondered about the Mohammed the poor “illiterate “baggage handler . little is heard of him but how did life evolve without ever being able to prove that he had not been even a tiny bit complicit . Never being able to prove that clic was really heard i have visited the site which is now simply a silent witness and reminder to the terrible fragility that is human mortality. RIP to all who perished and eternal sympathy to those affected whose lives had to continue following my earlier account of the tragedy touching me via my fathers friends I would be fascinated to hear from any else on this subject via robbo65@live.co.uk.
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Dear Richard My name is Nicola Talbot and I live in New Zealand and my Great-Uncle was killed in the THY981 flight. His name was James Berg and I understand the only New Zealander on the flight. He was my grandmothers brother. My uncle has recently been researching our family history and has found your website which has provided our family with more detail about this tragic event. As you can imagine details such as these were very difficult to get in 1974 and from the other side of the world.
I am traveling to Paris for work at the beginning of February and I would like to visit the memorial site at Ermenonville while I am there. I am struggling to find exact directions to the memorial and wondering if you knew them? I understand I need to get to Senlis or Ermenonville but I’m not sure about how to get to the actual memorial. Thanks in advance for your help.
Kind regards, Nicola
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