Flight 653 was hijacked
in 1977 en route from the northern Malaysian city of Penang to Kuala
Lumpur, the country's capital. The airliner -- a Boeing 737-200 --
crashed into a mangrove swamp as it descended, killing all 100 on board.
Before Flight 370, it was the deadliest incident in Malaysian aviation
history.
"Thirty-seven years down
the line, we still don't really know the truth," said Ruth Parr, who was
19 when her father, Thomas, died in the crash.
The hijacker or hijackers
of MH653 have never been identified, despite cockpit voice recordings
that captured everything from the breach of the cockpit, to the sound of
gunshots that killed both pilots. According to the Malaysian Civil
Aviation Department's report into the crash, the aircraft was hijacked
as it approached Kuala Lumpur.
Amid confusion over
whether it was to land there or not, it proceeded towards neighboring
Singapore. As it descended, the crew was shot and the aircraft "carried
out some unusual pitch up and pitch down terminal maneuvers before
finally impacting into swampy ground at some 450 knots." The report
concluded that the crash was caused by the crew being fatally
incapacitated, leaving the aircraft "professionally uncontrolled."
However, some eye
witnesses at the time reported seeing the aircraft in flames before it
hit the ground, while others reported hearing an explosion before impact
-- though investigators could not find evidence to support these
reports.
Defining event
For other family members
of MH653 victims reached by CNN, the recent disappearance of MH370
brought back memories of that traumatic time. Over the years, they have
learned to cope with their grief, but the 1977 crash will always be a
defining event in their lives.
"You have to carry that
with you all the time," said Tom Sherrington, whose father, Richard, was
also on MH653. He believes talking openly about their memories of his
father, whom he described as a "fun guy" and "big adventurer," helped
his family to cope.
He also said visits to
the memorial, built near the crash site in the Malaysian coastal town of
Tanjung Kupang, have given his family a tangible place to reflect on
their loss.
As for the families of
those on board MH370, Sherrington said they should focus on remembering
their loved ones and try not to fixate on assigning blame.
"The one thing I would
say is not for them to get too obsessed with the detail and the
recriminations and all that," he said. Sherrington added that he hopes
the families will stick together and find comfort in each other.
'You can never forget the date'
Both Parr and Sherrington warn that everyone processes their grief in different ways and there is no shortcut.
It gets a little easier over time but you can never forget the date," Parr said.
"You will forever think
you see that person out and about, a glance in the car's rearview mirror
or crossing the road. It could be anywhere, a voice that sounds like
him will have you spinning around only to find it's someone else."
Link to source: http://edition.cnn.com
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