News / Memorial to mark Shetland air tragedies
A MEMORIAL to air crew and passengers who lost their lives in air accidents in Shetland is to be unveiled at the island’s main airport, at Sumburgh, in May next year.
The memorial is dedicated to those who died in the 1979 Dan Air tragedy and the 1986 Chinook helicopter accident, and will also commemorate those who lost their lives in two North Sea tragedies.
A site for the memorial, which will consist of a horseshoe shaped stone structure and two bespoke hardwood benches, has been identified close to the airport terminal.
Airport manager Nigel Flaws said: “We have been working closely with the friends and relatives of those who died in these tragedies to establish a lasting memorial, and we are grateful to everyone who has given their support to the project.
“It will be a fitting memorial to those lost their lives. As a result of those tragedies, aircraft safety standards have improved greatly to the point where air travel is now the safest form of transport.”
The four tragedies commemorated are:
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the Dan Air Accident: Dan-Air Flight 0034 was a fatal accident involving a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 turboprop aircraft on an oil industry charter flight from Sumburgh Airport to Aberdeen. The crash occurred on 31 July 1979 following the aircraft’s failure to take off, resulting in 17 deaths;
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the Chinook Accident: 43 passengers and two crew lost their lives when a Boeing Chinook helicopter, returning oil workers from the Brent field, suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure on approach to Sumburgh airport on 6 November 1986;
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the Brent Spar Accident – a Sikorsky S61 helicopter transferring oil workers in the Brent oil field, 112 miles north east of Sumburgh airport, crashed whilst landing on the Brent Spar installation on the 25 July 1990 with six fatalities;
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the Cormorant Alpha Accident – a Eurocopter Super Puma helicopter crashed alongside the Cormorant Alpha platform on the 14 March 1992, with the loss of eleven lives.
A committee has been formed to raise funds for the memorial’s construction and upkeep. Donations can be made online via the www.sumburghairportmemorial.co.uk website or posted to Sumburgh Airport Memorial, C/O Coastguard SAR Flight, Sumburgh Airport, Virkie, Shetland, ZE3 9JP.
Support has already been received from airport operator HIAL, Ness Engineering, BP, Taqa, Shetland College and Shell.
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