"Joe Meanen estimates it took him about six seconds to hit the North Sea, after jumping 175ft (53 metres) off the burning wreckage of the Piper Alpha oil platform. The fall seemed to last for ever, during which time, he says, his first thought was: What the fuck have I done? Piper Alpha stood about 120 miles off Aberdeen, on the north-east coast of Scotland."
"On 6 July 1988 it suffered multiple catastrophic explosions and collapsed, killing 167 of the 228 men on board, and a further two men from the rescue crew. It was a Wednesday, and Meanen only had one more day of this two-week stint on the platform before flying home on Friday morning. He shared a room with three others, and they were all in high spirits"
"Major construction and upgrades were under way on Piper Alpha at the time, yet because of the amount of oil the platform produced, it was kept operational throughout. Meanen recalls feeling uneasy about the effects of the works: You could smell gas all over the platform. Sometimes, I even swear you could smell it inside the accommodation. At 10pm, a non-operational gas pump, which was missing a safety valve while it was being upgraded, was activated in error and then ignited, causing the first explosion."
Joe Meanen jumped 175ft from burning Piper Alpha and hit the North Sea after about six seconds, recalling immediate regret. Piper Alpha stood about 120 miles off Aberdeen. On 6 July 1988 multiple catastrophic explosions collapsed the platform, killing 167 of 228 men on board and two rescue crew. Meanen had one day left of a two-week stint and shared a room with three others who were in high spirits. Major construction and upgrades were under way while production continued, and workers often smelled gas. At about 10pm a non-operational pump missing a safety valve was activated in error and ignited, triggering the first explosion; the cinema roof collapsed, lights failed and panic ensued as crew tried to reach lifeboats.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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