November 20 1974: Fifty-nine people are killed when a jumbo jet plunged into a field after take-off from Nairobi Airport. But 98 others had a miraculous escape in the first ever jumbo jet crash. The Lufthanasa 743 bound for Johannesburg with 139 passengers and 18 crew , lost power just after take-off and plunged into a muddy field a mile from the runway. A list of survivors was compiled. They included 10 British nationals, two South Africans, two Norwegians , one Belgian, 4 Canadians, 12 Americans, one Austrian and 65 Germans. Lufthansa regional manager Mr. Helmut Wolff said 98 out of 157 people on board escaped death. Seventy six survivors, including Capt. Christian Krack escaped uninjured, while 22 were still in Nairobi Hospital. Two were critical condition.

Photo|Nation Syndication