THE DEADLY FLYAWAY KIT
“Every 3rd of May, for the past 37 years, like a bunch of anxious surfers, we catch the rising wave of grief, glide on the intensifying emotions for a while and fall back to our senses as the wave of reality breaks. Although words can never remove the ache, I have worded this in memory of our dear friend Johann Chunchee who was killed that fateful day, and in honour of all my colleagues and other Air Lanka staff who survived the carnage”
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On Saturday 3rd May 1986, the Air Lanka Lockheed L1011 Tristar 4R-ULD named ‘City of Colombo’ arrived from London Gatwick via Zurich and Dubai to Sri Lanka. The aircraft which arrived as flight UL512 was on the tarmac at Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB/VCBI) Katunayake, preparing for the next sector as UL101 to Velana International Airport Malé, ((MLE/VRMM) in the Maldives Islands.
UL512 arrived late from DXB (1+ hours) giving the outbound crew minimum turnaround time. Chief Purser of UL101 Dushy Abeyesekera had a quick chat with the inbound Chief Rommel Paul about the cabin defects and the need for Paul and his crew to de-plane quickly so that they could board. Cleaning and catering were rushed as a result, as were cabin crew pre-departure duties.
On board the aircraft were many French, German, British and Japanese tourists transiting en-route to the Maldives. Some were couples on their honeymoon, some looking forward to their diving expeditions and others simply looking forward to the sun, sand and sea.
Boarding of the flight was further delayed due to the aircraft being damaged during cargo and baggage loading. While this damage was being rectified, the cleaning staff were hastening their mundane tasks.
It was 09:10 hours in the morning, 20 minutes before scheduled departure of flight UL101. Capt. Vasawa Sudhila Vasawath Vajirapani, First Officer Adrian Cramer and Second Officer Suhail Hashim were completing their pre-departure checks. Seated behind in the jump seat was supernumerary pilot Deepal Goonetillake.
In the cabin were, Dushy Abeyesekera Chief purser, Leading Flight Attendants Amila Goonewardene, Jeanne Slojini Thurairatnam, and Neomal Jindasa. The rest of the crew were Dyresh Fernando, Johann Chunchee, Michelle Balthazaar, Pearly De Silva, Lalinthi Wijesinghe, Helen Fernando, John Rukmal Perera and Mohan Kannangara.
Passengers were still boarding the aircraft and French navy officer Redato, a passenger who just boarded the aircraft, was getting ready to take his seat, when a massive explosion rocked the aircraft. Simon Ellis, a British passenger on board, felt as if everything was lurching forward. “The ceiling came down and our chairs were blown backwards. When I managed to climb over the chairs, I looked out and there was nothing” Ellis recalled.
The explosion was a time bomb!
The powerful blast had ripped the aircraft in two, sending plumes of black smoke skyward. Most of the rear cabin was no longer there. Debris was falling from the plane and smoke was gushing out of the air vents. The impact had also shattered glass panels in the main terminal building. Parts of an aircraft door was found on the control tower.
Inside 4R-ULD, suddenly everything seemed quiet. For a brief moment things moved in slow motion. Nobody was screaming or crying.
Then all hell broke lose!
Panic stricken passengers began to rush through the thick smoke to their closest exits. On one isle a Flight Attendant was seen repeatedly asking passengers to remain calm and exit the aircraft, while on the other isle passengers were tripping over each other and falling down the aircraft ‘boarding steps’.
Everybody just wanted to get the hell out of there!
There were bodies lying on the tarmac amid cargo. There was meat and vegetables strewn over the area and one could not differentiate between body parts or food.
The response from the Fire Department was incredible . They promptly surrounded the aircraft and used foam and water to bring the fire down. The aircraft was being refuelled at the time of the explosion, thus the danger of a secondary explosion was quite high. One of the refuellers ran back to shut off the fuel valve to prevent further fuel leakage — an incredible presence of mind and courage!
The airport closed, and all arriving flights were diverted to regional airports.
The time bomb was planted in the aircraft’s ‘Fly-Away-Kit’ (FAK) which was uploaded to the C3 cargo hold and placed among the consignment of meat and vegetable crates — the regular exports to the neighbouring Maldives archipelago.
The flight was to have carried 128 people on UL101. It was clear during the investigations that the bomb had been timed to detonate mid-flight and had the flight taken off on time, all passengers and crew would have been killed.
The Sri Lankan government concluded that the bomb was planted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). A search of the aircraft the next day uncovered a parcel containing uniforms with the insignia of the Black Tigers, the Commando wing of LTTE. Chief Purser Abeyesekera remembers seeing Black Tiger caps scattered on the tarmac straight after the explosion.
21 people were killed in the explosion, including 3 British, 2 German, 3 French, 2 Japanese, 2 Maldivians and 1 Pakistani. One Air Lanka cabin crew member Johann Chunchee also lost his life. Another 41 passengers were injured.
THE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE
DUSHY ABEYESEKERA | CHIEF PURSER
“ The events that took place on this fateful day led to me leaving the land of my birth, and giving up a job and lifestyle that taught me so much and created lifelong friendships.
As the Chief or Purser I had just finished a round of all the cabins, stopped to chat to my school friend Johann Chunchi who was working in the aft galley, and reminded him that we would celebrate his upcoming 21st birthday in Amsterdam in a few days from then, as he was rostered to do that flight with me.
I made it back as far as the first class cabin when the blast threw me against a bulkhead, and as I looked up I saw the flight deck door come off its hinges. Broken shattered glass was flying through the air as the nose of the aircraft lifted and dropped. I have a fleeting picture of the technical crew shielding themselves as the small trap door on the floor of the cockpit blew open for the force of the blast.
Johann Chunchi didn’t stand a chance. He was working in the aft cabin literally on top of the bomb. I remember being there when his body was pulled out — it had the red cabin crew jacket, but I couldn’t recognise the face…
I was held at a hotel in Negombo until that evening waiting for the CID questioning.. and in the meantime Flight Operations was requesting me to the replacement UL101 flight as they were having a hard time finding a chief purser for the flight!”
DYRESH FERNANDO | FLIGHT ATTENDANT
“When I was called on standby the night before, I never imagined that we would go through a horrendous experience like this.
I was in First Class with Dushy, Jeanne and Michelle when we heard the loud explosion. The front section of the aircraft lifted up for the impact.
The bomb went off on ground because there was a delay. Imagine if we took off on time!
Johann was my batchmate and an amazing guy.
I thank god for giving me and my colleagues a second chance in life…… Life is so precious…
I am the only one still flying out of that UL101 crew.”
JEANNE THURAIRATNAM | FLIGHT ATTENDANT
“I was the leading stewardess in First class. I walked towards the rear of the aircraft and was returning back to my station when the bomb went off. I remember Dushy shouting ‘Evacuate’. Michelle Balthazar was clinging on to me in shock. For a moment we didn’t know what happened. When the aircraft pitched up due to the explosion at the empennage (Tail Section) and dropped back, there was a gap between the aircraft and the step ladder. We had to jump across, and that too in our saris.”
ROY COPEMAN | CAPTAIN AIR LANKA
I did in fact fly on that dreadful day, and vividly remember returning from Hong Kong, and taxying to the ramp, and seeing the wreckage on the apron.
DAVID HAWKES | CAPTAIN AIR LANKA
“On that memorable day, I was about to make my first flight for Air Lanka, and was at the runway threshold awaiting take off clearance when we heard the explosion and saw a column of smoke from the apron. We were denied takeoff clearance and was asked to return to the ramp. There we saw the tail section of “ULD” lying on the tarmac and a crowd of people trying to assist and clear the area. It was a dreadful day, our passengers were put into the hanger adjacent to the terminal and I remember that an item of hand baggage was left unattended in the middle of the floor looking highly suspicious, so I got all the passengers herded to the back of the building and had a starter truck placed in front of the offending piece of baggage just in case! A day I shall never forget.”
HELEN FERNANDO | FLIGHT ATTENDANT
“I was checked for head injuries as I was at the rear of the aircraft and fell down during the explosion. My left ear drum was damaged, and to date I have a hearing impairment, and can follow only a face-to-face conversation.
I organized through a friend to see a doctor as Air Lanka didn’t provide us with medical facilities at the time. Jeanne, Michelle and I shared a room at the Airport Garden Hotel while waiting for the investigation. We didn’t have clothes to change into. All our handbags and stuff were still on the aircraft”
SHARON SCHUCROFT | FLIGHT ATTENDANT UL302
“I was in the Tristar to the left of 4R-ULD getting ready for the Singapore flight UL302. Our flight was also delayed and we were boarding passengers. I looked out the door and saw the Male aircraft in two. There was fire and smoke. I recall standing near the exit shouting commands to passengers at the top of my voice. Some passengers were shell-shocked. But we couldn’t show emotion. We put our safety procedures to practice and evacuated our passengers within minutes.
I cried so much when I heard about Chunchi. I had spoken to him minutes before in the locker room! He was leaving as I was entering. How symbolic that seems now!”
JOHN RUKMAL PERERA | FLIGHT ATTENDANT
“I was with Dushy on this horrendous day at R2 door position in the cabin. So sad that Chunchi is not with us. He was such a lovely person”
ROHITHA KURUKULASURIYA | GROUND HANDLING STAFF
“I will never forget that day. At about 08:10 on that Saturday morning, I was to finish my ground handling duties of UL101. I was at the front cargo compartment when the bomb exploded throwing me to the tarmac. I was lying on the tarmac with a dislocated right foot. I was trying to get away from the aircraft thinking there could be another bomb. Only then I realised that I could not walk!”
SUHASHINI VICTORIA | FLIGHT ATTENDANT
“I had just arrived from a flight on another L1011 aircraft and was walking to the arrival terminal with my crew, when we heard the explosion. We rushed out and saw the smoke, and the tragic news about Chunchi”
AHINTHA AMARASINGHE | MANAGER AIRLANKA MALDIVES
“I was the Manager of Air Lanka in the Maldives at the time. I was at the airport waiting for UL101 to arrive.”
BASIL MARCELLINE | FLIGHT ATTENDANT
“ The lack of care and support for the whole crew subsequently is beyond me . Johann was my batch mate. He was fresh out of Trinity College, Kandy and full of humour and zest for life . He was a kind and gentle young man . We all joined the airline in search of adventure and a way of life. It was an honour to be an ambassador on behalf of our country. It saddened me that Johann did not get a chance to enjoy this privilege fully.”
AMANDAYANA PILAPITIYA | AIR LANKA SAFETY INSTRUCTOR
“A scenario which has been discussed and evaluated at length by me as a safety instructor. I'm in my 36th year at UL. Chunchi was my class mate in school. God bless all who survived and lived to tell the story.
RIP Chunchi…”
THE AFTERMATH
The military turned up at the ill-fated aircraft with machine guns and ordered everybody into buses. Some were taken to the Katunayake Air Force base, while others were herded into the airport’s tiny medical station, where they were made to sit on the floor. The injured were screaming agony, while more were hauled into the tiny space.
One passenger in particular was screaming in agony as the nursing staff tried to remove melted plastic from his head while others were scrambling to contact their respective embassies. Some were collected by their consulates while others were abandoned.
“From the Air Force base, we were taken back to the airport where we waited for six hours with only a bottle of Coke, a sandwich and a piece of cake. We also discovered that our luggage was stolen from the crime scene so we didn’t any of our belongings. I couldn’t help thinking what would have happened if I hadn’t got upgraded to Business class.” — Sandrin Michael passenger
The Air Lanka engineering technician who planted the bomb in the FAK (an LTTE sympathiser) escaped and was never captured, while Mrs Chunchee grieved for her only child Johann.
The special Scotland Yard team conducting the investigation were sent back packing for discovering that the bombing was an inside job, while traumatised crew members got on with life believing that everything happened for a purpose.
The special presidential commission report was classified for “security reasons” and tucked away in the abyss of a collective conscience, while there was jubilation in Shannon, Ireland, on that insurance windfall.
