The cursed flight of Tutankhamun
Posted: 13 Nov 2007, 21:56
With the Tutankhamun exhibition in London, I remebered reading about the last time it came here, and some mysterious incidents and deaths that occured some time after it's arrival......and yes, the story DOES have a link with aviation! :o
As you may know, a curse was apparently placed by the boy King (Tutankhamun) to fall on anyone who interfered or 'stole' treasures from the tomb. Since the tomb was first opened after being discovered in 1923, numerous deaths did occur of people directly, or indirectly connected with the archaeological dig for it.
In 1972, the tomb and its treasures came London - the last time the exhibition was here. They were flown here by an RAF Britannia from Brize Norton. Four years later, Flight Lieutenant Rick Laurie, one of the Britannia's crew on that flight, died of a Heart attack. The Flight Engineer, Ken Parkinson also suffered a heart attack each year at the same time as that flight in 1972, until a fatal one in 1978. Before the flight, neither had had Heart problems.
During the flight, Chief Technical Officer Ian Lansdown kicked the crate containing Tutankhamun's death mask. "I've just kicked the most expensive thing in the world", He joked. While disembarking from a plane on another mission, the ladder broke, and so did his leg...badly - the same leg that had kicked the crate.
Flight lieutenant Jim Webb who was on the flight lost his home and possessions in a fire. Steward Brian Rounsfall who had been playing cards on the tomb during the flight suffered two heart attacks, and a woman officer on board was forced to leave the RAF after having a serious operation.
Just all coincidences??? Or...why did Tutankhamun have so much of a grudge against the RAF?
As you may know, a curse was apparently placed by the boy King (Tutankhamun) to fall on anyone who interfered or 'stole' treasures from the tomb. Since the tomb was first opened after being discovered in 1923, numerous deaths did occur of people directly, or indirectly connected with the archaeological dig for it.
In 1972, the tomb and its treasures came London - the last time the exhibition was here. They were flown here by an RAF Britannia from Brize Norton. Four years later, Flight Lieutenant Rick Laurie, one of the Britannia's crew on that flight, died of a Heart attack. The Flight Engineer, Ken Parkinson also suffered a heart attack each year at the same time as that flight in 1972, until a fatal one in 1978. Before the flight, neither had had Heart problems.
During the flight, Chief Technical Officer Ian Lansdown kicked the crate containing Tutankhamun's death mask. "I've just kicked the most expensive thing in the world", He joked. While disembarking from a plane on another mission, the ladder broke, and so did his leg...badly - the same leg that had kicked the crate.
Flight lieutenant Jim Webb who was on the flight lost his home and possessions in a fire. Steward Brian Rounsfall who had been playing cards on the tomb during the flight suffered two heart attacks, and a woman officer on board was forced to leave the RAF after having a serious operation.
Just all coincidences??? Or...why did Tutankhamun have so much of a grudge against the RAF?