New safety checks on Korean Air aircraft were ordered yesterday following Wednesday's cargo jet crash near Stansted in Essex. The Korean Air Boeing 747-200 came down in a field near a motorway shortly after lifting off from the runway and exploded on impact.
Debris missed houses by just 40m but there were no reports of casualties on the ground. The four crew members of the Milan-bound aircraft were killed.
The government had ordered checks of Korean Air aircraft before the Stansted crash but no evidence was found to ground any aircraft, it was revealed yesterday.
The Deputy Chief Constable of Essex police, Mr Charles Clark, confirmed that the crew of the doomed jet did not have enough time to make a mayday call before the aircraft crashed. He told reporters: "Whatever happened, the pilot did not get the chance to call".
Asked how many bodies had been recovered, he said: "It is very difficult to say. It is not so much bodies but unfortunately human remains that are having to be dealt with." He added that although 150 officers were searching the scene, the debris of the jet was spread over 1.5 square kilometres, and "many days work" lay ahead.
Fresh pre-flight checks of the airline's aircraft operating in Britain will now be carried out, the Department of Transport has said. The department has the power to suspend Korean Air's British operations should it feel it is necessary.
One of the flight's two black box recorders was recovered from the wreckage, and Air Accident Investigation Branch officials were examining it for evidence of what caused the crash.
Aviation experts said the investigation was likely to centre on the Pratt & Whitney engines of the aircraft and on the security of the freight being carried, which included a quantity of explosives.
Essex's assistant chief fire officer, Mr Tony Lilliott, said the explosives - in the form of detonating cord or fuse - were listed as a dangerous piece of cargo.
"When any aircraft takes off, the pilot is notified as a matter of course if there is any dangerous stuff on board. This was less than two kilos of detonating cord which is very low-level and will have simply burnt away."
He added that the aircraft had been carrying 33 tonnes of fuel when it took off.
"I think the aircraft on take-off was carrying about 33 tonnes of fuel and when that hit the ground that would have atomised and would have given you the fireball."
The Department of Transport said today: "We were aware of the Korean safety record and had asked the Civil Aviation Authority to intensify ramp checks [pretake-off inspections] of their aircraft. Further assurances had also been sought from the Korean authorities which had been given.
"No evidence was found to lead us to ground these aircraft. Further ramp checks will now be carried out."
The department added: "The Air Accident Investigation Branch has already begun its full and thorough investigation. AAIB will alert the department to any action that may be necessary."
Any overseas carrier wishing to operate to and from Britain needs to obtain a permit from the department.
Residents close to the crash site yesterday spoke of how lucky they felt to be alive. Mr Martin Mugele (62), a farmer, said the Boeing 747 missed his home by 100 yards and the escape was "like winning the lottery".
Another farmer, Mr Joseph Tranter, said there was "an absolute inferno" as the Korean Air cargo aircraft crashed in a fireball two minutes after taking off. The British Deputy Prime Minister, Mr John Prescott, yesterday visited the crash scene on the outskirts of Hatfield Forest, close to the busy M11. "I am very relieved that the population of the area was spared in this terrible accident," he said.
The airport, which was shut after the incident, reopened by late morning, but thousands of passengers eager to get away for their Christmas holidays faced delays. Airport officials said they hoped services would be back to normal by tomorrow.
Korean Air has been involved in a number of safety-related incidents in recent years, including a crash on the Pacific island of Guam in 1997 in which 228 people died.
It is licensed to operate up to five scheduled flights a week between Heathrow and Seoul. The airline also operates weekly Britain-Seoul cargo flights from Heathrow and Stansted.
Mr Bill Rammell, Labour MP for Harlow in Essex, urged the department to suspend Korean Air flights to and from Stansted until the AAIB had reported to Mr John Prescott on its investigation into the disaster.