[1] The aircraft, registered G-ALHG,[2] had been chartered by Arrowsmith Holidays Ltd and had left Palma de Mallorca at 5:00 am, carrying holidaymakers back from the Balearic Islands to Manchester Airport.

The aircraft became uncontrollable and crashed at 10:09 am local time in a small open area at Hopes Carr, close to the town centre.

However, a fire started towards the rear of the aircraft after the fuel tanks had ruptured and worked back through the cabin, engulfing and killing most of the fuel-soaked passengers.

It was found that the selectors controlling the cross-feed valves were poorly placed in the cockpit, and difficult to operate, also giving an unclear indication of what was selected.

Without this information, the AIB believed that it would have been extremely difficult for the pilots of G-ALHG to determine the exact nature of the emergency.

The aircraft was over an open area at the time the starboard engines cut out, and AIB investigators believed that it became completely uncontrollable after the loss of power.

Ian Barrie, an aviation expert, and Roger Boden produced a documentary, Six Miles from Home, for the 50th anniversary.