Stockport's Darkest Day...

On the morning of June 4th, 1967 one of the worst British aviation disasters struck when a holiday charter aircraft crashed onto Stockport town centre. The British Midland flight crashed at 10.09am at Hopes Carr, some six miles short of its destination of Manchester Airport. 72 lives were lost and thanks to the brave actions of those who were first on the scene 12 people, including the pilot, were rescued before the plane exploded taking all other survivors of the initial impact. Remarkably there were no fatalities on the ground. The plane was a Canadair C-4 Argonaut chartered by Arrowsmith Holidays and was carrying returning holidaymakers from Palma, Mallorca. Investigators determined that the aircraft had run out of fuel due to a flaw in the fuel system. Two stone memorials stand close by to the crash site, they pay tribute to the victims and also those who attempted to save them. The memorial to the rescuers was only added in 2002 following a long campaign to recognise those who risked their lives to pull survivors from the burning wreck.