In early afternoon of 18 February 1956, in clear view of people on the ground, Malta's deadliest air crash took place. A four-engined British transport aircraft,  Avro York, had just departed from Luqa Airport. In mid-air, it began trailing smoke, drifted off its instructed turn, and then fell out of the sky. Within minutes, Malta had witnessed its worst aviation disaster, 50 lives lost on the outskirts of Żurrieq. The aircraft (registration G-ANSY) was not a commercial holid