30 year anniversary: How the Lauda Air crash in Suphanburi caused national soul-searching

[webfact]

Picture: Manager

 

Manager reported that today is the thirtieth anniversary of the devastating crash of Lauda Air 004 that was flying from Bangkok to Vienna on May 26th 1991.

 

All 223 aboard including ten crew perished and the bodies were spread over a wide area of what is now the Phu Toei National Park in Suphanburi in Central Thailand. 

 

It was later shown that a thrust reverser deployed in flight catching the crew off guard. The plane quickly spiralled out of control and disintegrated. 

 

Picture: Manager

 

American pilot Thomas J. Welch was found still strapped into his seat. 

 

The incident was Thailand's worst aviation disaster but is remembered for the disgraceful scenes as members of the public and rescue foundation staff openly looted the bodies of dead passengers. 

 

Items like jewelry and passports went missing shocking relatives. Media at the time even reported tables set up to trade in the possessions of the dead.

 

This led to much national soul-searching at the time centered around the moral ethics of Thai people.

 

Also the actions of the authorities came into question. Bodies were not refrigerated and decomposed with several dozen never formally identified. 

 

Picture: Manager

 

Former Formula 1 racing car driving champion Niki Lauda, an Austrian, had founded the airline two years before. 

 

The airline continued until 2013 then was essentially renamed.

 

Niki Lauda died two years ago. He was instrumental in the investigation leading to changes in Boeing 767s. 

 

Picture: Manager

 

A cemetery exists at the site of the crash.

 

Among the dead were 39 Thais, 74 Austrians, 52 people from Hong Kong and 10 Italians. 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-05-26

 

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[worgeordie]

I remember the crash and was saddened by reports of looting

of the deceased, there were also looters on an a truck and trailer

carrying explosives ,that turned over in Phuket , those looters were

not so lucky when it exploded.

regards Worgeordie 

 

[JoeLeTaxi]

"A cemetery exists at the site of the crash." is not correct. The Lauda Air Cemetery is in Sa Kaeo Sub-district of Suphan Buri, close to Wat Sa Kaeo Si Sanphet. I visited the site in February 2018 and felt pity to find the place not well maintained.

 

The land for the cemetery was offered by the family of the Chiang Mai Governor, of which five members including Governor Pairat Decharin and his wife, perished in the crash. Under a shelter, there are the plaques of those who died in the crash, while in front of the shelter is a small burial area for the 23 victims whose identity could not be ascertained. The burial area is marked with a cross and a plaque with the names of those buried there. [Source: Air Crash Investigations: Suddenly Falling Apart the Crash of Lauda Air Flight NG 004 - Hank Williamson (2011)].

 

On the crash site is a pavilion with a standing Buddha (poorly or not maintained) and a small funeral chedi where looters made holes to loot the contents. My visit was three years ago, so I do not know if the sites were improved today, but I fear.

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The incident was Thailand's worst aviation disaster but is remembered for the disgraceful scenes as members of the public and rescue foundation staff openly looted the bodies of dead passengers. 

 

Items like jewelry and passports went missing shocking relatives. Media at the time even reported tables set up to trade in the possessions of the dead.

 

This led to much national soul-searching at the time centered around the moral ethics of Thai people.

Simply shocking and doesn't bear thinking about.

Edited May 26, 2021 by xylophone

[Caldera]

"The incident was Thailand's worst aviation disaster but is remembered for the disgraceful scenes as members of the public and rescue foundation staff openly looted the bodies of dead passengers."

 

Indeed, back then I thought, these people are absolute scum.

 

From back then, that and the Thai military's massacres of Thai students were about the only headlines from Thailand that made it into my memory.

 

Luckily, I also got to see the positive sides of Thailand some time later. But that was really a disgrace. 

[tgw]

I feel the following text in the article is misleading:

Quote

It was later shown that a thrust reverser deployed in flight catching the crew off guard. The plane quickly spiralled out of control and disintegrated. 

 

The crew was certainly caught off-guard, but there was nothing they could have done to avoid the crash, which was due to Boeing's design flaw in the thrust reversers and Boeing's dodging of proper FAA testing (sounds familiar?). Kudos to Nicky Lauda for getting Boeing top admit it, something official investigators were not able to do.

[thaiowl]

Remember it well. Locals were spotted wearing designer clothes.

[redwhiteandblue]

Thainess 

[sanuk711]

3 hours ago, Caldera said:

The incident was Thailand's worst aviation disaster but is remembered for the disgraceful scenes as members of the public and rescue foundation staff openly looted the bodies of dead passengers."

Happened in Phuket also, post Tsunami...all the bodies were being stacked in freezer containers and Khun Ying Pornthip-their top pathologist when asked why it was taking so long to identify the foreign bodies, said it would be easier if the police would leave the bodies alone as jewelry, rings etc that would have been engraved with dates/names were going missing---  yer she never did get on much with the police.

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by sanuk711

[Arkady]

Very sad.  I remember the looting was only stopped at the insistence of some hi-sos whose relatives had perished in the crash.  In addition to the Chiang Mai governor, I think a couple of the Queen's ladies in waiting were amongst the victims.  But the police stopped it far too late.  I remember one rescue worker was caught coming down the hill in an expensive looking sweater which turned out to be covering up valuables strapped to his body.  I remember there was another crash of a flight to Samui around the same time where locals were allowed to rummage through the luggage and no hi-sos intervened.

 

"This led to much national soul-searching at the time centered around the moral ethics of Thai people."

 

Some may argue that this soul searching passed in a few seconds without changing anything.

[chilli42]

I had only arrived in Thailand  a couple of years before this happened.  Looting of the bodies was a national and international disgrace.  Were a similar accident happen today, I would expect that we would see exactly the same behavior.

[off road pat]

47 minutes ago, Arkady said:

Very sad.  I remember the looting was only stopped at the insistence of some hi-sos whose relatives had perished in the crash.  In addition to the Chiang Mai governor, I think a couple of the Queen's ladies in waiting were amongst the victims.  But the police stopped it far too late.  I remember one rescue worker was caught coming down the hill in an expensive looking sweater which turned out to be covering up valuables strapped to his body.  I remember there was another crash of a flight to Samui around the same time where locals were allowed to rummage through the luggage and no hi-sos intervened.

 

"This led to much national soul-searching at the time centered around the moral ethics of Thai people."

 

Some may argue that this soul searching passed in a few seconds without changing anything.

I remember the Samui crash very well. it was I think the first flight to Samui ! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok_Airways_Flight_125

 

[Thingamabob]

Sadly looting has occurred not only following air crashes, but also following coach and car crashes.

[GeorgeEboy]

They were Ghouls, and it also happened in Queens New York City. Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 was a regularly scheduled flight from New Orleans to New York City that crashed on June 24, 1975 while on approach to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing 113 of the 124 people on board. With the local "minority community looting the crash scene. I remember as a teenager watching the news teams showing the looting. They never reran the footage.

 

[Tug]

I remember this accident horrible and the looting disgraceful there was an excellent documentary on this incident on the smitthonian channel mr lauda was instrumental in getting to the reason they lost control (at speed and altitude the the thrust reverser deployment was unsurivable) they only tested this condition at low altitude and speed during the certification process extra locks and safeguards were added to the system to guard against a repeat accident sad 

[holy cow cm]

Back in those days it was like the wild wild east and a way bit scandalous to say the least. But I also must say that back then those were absolutely some of my happiest times here bar none. Not condoning the looting as is just sick greedy minded, but Oh to be able to go back in time and spend a month with having that daily in and out of 24 hours of no rules and self abandonment I would gladly pay a kings ransom to be able to do again. Give me the option of traveling to see space or traveling back in time, no brainer for me.. .

[unblocktheplanet]

23 crash victims were never identified!