On the 30th December 1993, the village of Beckindale was rocked to its foundations when an Eastern European airliner flying over Britain towards Canada exploded over Beckindale, thus ensuring disaster for the village and its resident, and the crash changed the face of the village forever.
On that dark cold night in Beckindale tensions were running high. Eric Pollard and his wife Elizabeth's marriage was on the rocks, Kathy Tate was ready to leave husband Chris for wine salesman Josh Lewis and Frank Tate was estranged from wife Kim. At the Woolpack there was a Dickensian evening being held and money raised was to go towards Seth Armstrong's prostate gland operation. Elizabeth was babysitting Alice while Alice's father Nick and friend Archie Brooks were off for a night down the Woolpack.
At Kim's stables at Home Farm Vic and Viv Windsor and their 3 children were there chatting to Kim who was tending her horses. Frank Tate drove down the lane and parked near the stables a few hundred yards away. Archie was upset by Alan Turner at the pub and threw Seth out for being rude. Back at the stables Kim and Viv were talking whereas Vic was wondering why the horse Samson got his name? He knew it was from some comedy series. Then as Frank Tate was ready to drive away, he was stopped by a huge roar
The fireball erupted over the stables
Vic, Viv and Kim dived for cover as flames hurtled into the stables.
Meanwhile near Main Street Archie was being chased by Nick who was persuading him to come back to the Woolpack. Nick was blinded by aviation fuel. As he did the fireball erupted and Archie disappeared in a cloud of vapour.
Nick escaped the inferno which ripped the moorland.
At the Woolpack, Turner was about to do the reading when there was an almighty roar which was getting louder. The lights went out, then the front windows blew in, the force of the explosion sending everyone to the ground.
On a country lane outside Beckindale Joe Sugden was driving his mother Annie and her husband Leonard to the airport. He asked if she had packed her sun block. Annie Kempinski was distracted by a fireball glowing over the field towards the farm. Joe looked and was distracted as a burning wing piece came hurtling towards the car.
Joe crashed his Land rover into the ditch, leaving himself, Annie and Leonard unconscious. Back at Kim's stables Viv was frantically looking for her 3 children Scott, Kelly and Donna. Frank attended the scene and helped Kim move Samson away from the burning stables. Their attention was distracted by an explosion in a nearby copse.
At the Woolpack, everyone was on the floor knocked out.
On the moor Nick was blinded but shouting for Archie. He feel into a huge crater left by the force of plane wreckage hitting the ground.
At Mill Cottage Kathy Tate tried to ring the phone but the line was dead. She picked up her letter and left. The McAllister family watched as explosions ripped through the village of Beckindale.
At the stables Viv's children were found safe and sound. Kim ran into the stables to rescue the horses but was stopped by Frank.
Frank had to go to the village and find out what has happened. Vic Windsor and Viv started throwing buckets of water on the fires ripping through the barns in a frantic attempt to stop the fires spreading whereas Kim's horses were burning in the horse enclosures. Frank told her to stay well away from them as she would get killed trying to rescue them. Frank later drove down the Hotten Road which runs through the village.
He had to duck as there was another explosion near him.
He went into the Woolpack and several of the customers got up and dusted themselves off. Turner and Shirley were OK but many villagers were soon to be presumed missing. Eric Pollard walked into the Woolpack looking for wife Elizabeth. At the stables, it had been raining flowers earlier on....
No one in Beckindale knew what had happened. Was it a gas explosion? Bombs? Jack Sugden and his wife watched the carnage from Emmerdale Farm and Jack said he had to go an see what had happened.
Josh Lewis was driving into the village when he braked at Skipdale Bridge as it was destroyed. He got a torch and went to see what the destruction was.
He had to wade across the river after Skipdale Bridge was destroyed.
Jack Sugden was examining his dead sheep when he was distracted by an explosion in the distance....
Meanwhile Nick Bates wandered aimlessly around the moors looking for Archie.
In the end the stables had to be vacated as the fire spread. Kim's beloved horses were burnt to death. Kathy Tate saw Josh outside the Woolpack.
Jack
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