The 5 worst rugby disasters in history - Page 3 of 5 - Ruck

The 5 worst rugby disasters in history

3. Paris air crash

Date: 3 March 1974

Summary: Cargo door failure due to aircraft design flaw leading to explosive decompression; loss of control

Location: Ermenonville Forest
Fontaine-Chaalis, Oise, France 

18 Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club members and supporters killed in the 1974 Paris air crash.

The granite memorial, inspired by a larger one at Ermenonville near Paris, was unveiled by John Cousins, the last surviving member of a club party who had flown to France to see England play.

John had been one of a small group who decided to stay in France instead of catching the ill-fated Turkish Airlines DC10 from Orly on March 3, 1974.

The crash, in which 346 died, was the second attributed to a poorly designed cargo door latching system on the DC10 and resulted in a redesign of the locking system

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