Sport nationThe 1998 Leeds United Plane Crash: A Terrifying Near-Miss
On March 30, 1998, Leeds United’s football team narrowly escaped disaster when their plane crash-landed shortly after takeoff from London’s Stansted Airport. The incident occurred following a dismal 3-0 defeat to West Ham United, but the severity of the situation quickly shifted focus from the loss. The team’s golden generation, which would go on to achieve remarkable success in the Champions League, was almost cut short in a tragic air disaster.
The events of that night remain etched in the memories of those involved. Leeds United commentator Bryn Law recalled, “The only good thing about what happened next was that it stopped people talking about the result.” However, it was no laughing matter as the entire team found themselves flirting with death.
Lee Bowyer, a key player in Leeds United’s success, shared his harrowing account of the incident on ‘Let’s Be Having You! The 00s Football Podcast.’ “We heard a big bang, and then we looked out the window and saw the engine on our side had blown. So, now, it’s on fire.” Panic set in as players stood up, shouting in fear, “Take it down, take it down!”
The situation escalated quickly. “To cut a long story short, we’re coming down to crash-land, but then we come down at such an angle that the front wheel then breaks.” The chaos in the cabin intensified, and fear took hold. “Your mind starts playing games. You look out the window and convince yourself it’s going to blow up because, in the movies, that’s what happens. It’s just going to blow up; that’s it, we’re dead.”
In a moment that felt like an eternity, they crash-landed, the plane’s nose digging into the ground. Bowyer continued, “Everyone’s trying to rush out as the plane’s nose is in the dirt. Afterward, the fireman said the plane should have exploded within 30 seconds to a minute, so we were really lucky.” They were fortunate to have landed at Stansted Airport, known for having the longest runway in Europe.
“We were also lucky that it was Stansted because we were able to go up and land at the same time. But the normal procedure is to carry on, turn around, and then land. The fireman said, if we had to do that, it would have blown up.” Bowyer finished his story by joking, “Now I say to anyone who’s a nervous flyer to fly with me, as it can’t happen twice, surely?”
The hero of the night was Captain John Hackett, whose life-saving actions spared the lives of everyone on board. An air accident investigation report published in December 2001 detailed how passengers saw sparks coming from the engine on the plane’s right wing as it accelerated down the runway. However, in the cockpit, they had no warning of what was coming.
Black box recordings indicated that, three or four seconds after take-off, the engine exploded. Commotion was heard in the background. A fractured turbine disk, weakened through wear and tear, tore through it and set it alight. When the engine blew up, Hackett, as the senior pilot on board, immediately took over control of the plane from First Officer Gary Lucas.
They were less than 100 feet off the ground at that point. Protocol advised a captain in that situation to continue into the air and starve the fire of oxygen. However, Hackett’s knowledge of other air disasters of similar nature ending in catastrophe led him to go against standard procedure.
He landed the aircraft on the same strip of runway immediately after taking off, saving the lives of all 44 passengers and crew. Had the air crash been fatal, it could have claimed the lives of the entire 1998 Leeds United Football Team.
Captain Hackett’s bravery and quick thinking have been recognized by the players and crew. Carole and Alex Hackett, the pilot’s daughter and grandson, created a website, ‘Leeds United Air Crash Memories,’ to honor his life-saving actions.
On the website, players like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lee Bowyer shared videos expressing their gratitude to Captain Hackett. The website serves as a tribute to the pilot’s heroism and a reminder of the incident’s significance.
In an interview with the BBC in 2018, Captain Hackett modestly reflected, “Not a day goes by without it crossing my mind… The whole night sky lit up. Our first thoughts were it was a bomb.” His humility belies the significance of his actions.
The incident could have had a profound impact on Leeds United’s history. The team’s golden generation, which included players like Harry Kewell, Jonathan Woodgate, and Lee Bowyer, went on to achieve remarkable success under David O’Leary.
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