Kegworth air disaster: Talking about my experience meant I had no mental scars

The self-employed psychotherapist and life coach admits the absence of psychological trauma in her case is “unusual”, but believes her willingness to talk about the crash and write about her feelings were key in helping her deal with what happened.

Forty-seven people – 29 from Northern Ireland – died and more than 70 others were badly injured – Ms McGowan among them.

Although badly physically injured when British Midland Flight 92 came down on the embankment of the M1, Ms McGowan, who worked as a counsellor with victims of sexual abuse at the time, revealed how she flew home to Belfast immediately after being discharged from hospital in Nottingham – just two weeks after the crash – and was back at work just days later.

A regular air traveller before and after the tragedy, she insists the horrific events of January 8, 1989 never put her off flying.

Asked what psychological effects the crash had on her, Ms McGowan, said: “It had absolutely none at all really. I came home and was very damaged physically. I was supposed to go into the Royal (hospital), but I just came on home. I think I was only off work about three weeks and then I went back on crutches.”

Convinced her knowledge of the importance of talking about what happened and writing about the terrible incident in her daily journal were key to helping her get on with her life, she added: “I knew to talk about what happened, to write about it and things like that which were very helpful. I also had and still have a very positive outlook on life.

“I was just very aware that I was lucky to be alive. I never looked at it as ‘that’s a terrible thing to have happened to me’, I always looked at it as ‘purely by chance you’re lucky to be alive’.”

Ms McGowan says she never realised the true scale of the tragedy until she looked back at the events many years later.