LEMEKI Ratucicivi can still recall the final few seconds of the ill-fated Sunflower Airlines Riley Heron that went down in a papaya plantation, just short of the Nadi International Airport’s runway 21, on Saturday, December 27, 1986.
As an employee of the Quarantine Department at the time, he was familiar with the different types of aircraft and the different engine sounds.
“I saw the Sunflower Airlines Heron coming in over the Nausori Highlands and begin to descend over Sabeto,” he shared during an interview over the phone.
“As it approached Runway 21, I knew something was wrong by the sound of the engines.
“It sounded as if the engines were on and then suddenly went off and then on again.
“That really caught my attention.
“By this time the attention of everyone in the airport was on the Sunflower plane.
“This continued for a few seconds as the aircraft looked like it was trying to line itself up with the runway.
“The next thing I knew, it tilted sharply to one side and disappeared from view.
“Then one of the worst sounds I have ever heard came when it hit the ground.
“The airport fire trucks rushed there but from what they later told me, there was not much they could do.
“Some of the people who handled the bodies said it was the most horrific rescue they had attended to.
“Bodies were mangled beyond recognition and in some cases it was difficult to make out which parts belonged to whom and whether the victim was male or female.”
Mr Ratucicivi, who today works as a Biosecurity officer, said some of the body parts of the 11 victims were transported to the Nadi Hospital mortuary, while others were kept inside a cave located next to the Fiji National University’s Namaka Campus.
“The cave was dug out by the US Air Force when it was stationed in Nadi.
“Nadi was in shock with the ambulances, police and airport authority vehicles rushing around.
“Everyone who was at the airport that day, and especially those who worked at the scene, have never forgotten Saturday December 27.”
Many questions were raised in the immediate aftermath of the crash which claimed the lives of 11 people.
Was it pilot error? Did the aircraft run out of fuel? Did poor visibility contribute to the plane crash?
Or was it poor maintenance work which led to a wrong aircraft part being fitted on a critical wing component — as suggested in the official report?
According to a United Press International report that appeared two days after the crash, Janis Johnson, a US resident who survived the ill-fated flight, claimed nothing appeared to have gone wrong until the final few seconds of the flight.
The 38-year-old said there had been heavy turbulence in the early stages of the flight when it began its ascent from Savusavu.
She said everything had appeared to be normal when the Heron began its approach to Nadi International Airport about 1.45pm.
However, all hell broke loose a few seconds before the aircraft banked sharply to the right and plunged into the earth.
“The plane began wavering and the wings were teetering up and down,” Ms Johnson had stated in her report at the time.
“They (the wings) began dipping lower and lower and I said to the person next to me “we’re going to crash.
“That’s the last I remember.”
Ms Johnson lost her husband, Kenneth Vondrasek, 48, who was also on the flight.
The list of deceased also included pilot Jonn Doni, co-pilot Andrea Drew, Lawrence Dame, 62, his wife Roberta Dame, 61, and their daughter Sandra.
Another daughter, Candice Dame, who was 29 at the time, survived the crash.
Also killed were Thomas Byrnes, 35, of New York City, Sunita Swamy, 26, and her five-month-old daughter, Simita.
Her eldest daughter Vinita who was two at the time, miraculously survived the crash.
According to an aviation expert who saw the official report, a non-standard pin fitted on to the equipment which handled the flaps on the right wing had been put down as the primary contributing cause of the aircraft banking suddenly to the right before slamming into the ground.
According to media reports at the time, rumours had also been circulating that the Sunflower Airlines airplane did not have enough fuel.
Whatever the reason, the December 1986 crash was the biggest aviation disaster in Fiji’s history at the time.
It changed the way emergency teams at Nadi International Airport operated and prepared for future incidents.
