Nieves de Larracoechea
 Nieves de Larracoechea  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Maria Nieves Larracoechea 3 March 1949 Bilbao |
| Died | 21 December 1988 (Age 39) |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Spouse | Frank Rozenkranz |
| Relatives | Marina de Larracoechea |
Air stewardess on board Pan Am Flight 103 which exploded over Lockerbie in Scotland on 21 December 1988 | |
Nieves de Larracoechea (born 3 March 1949) and residing at Castello 83, Madrid 28006, Spain was an air stewardess on board Pan Am Flight 103 which exploded over Lockerbie in Scotland on 21 December 1988, killing all 259 passengers and crew, and 11 people in the town.
Pen picture
She was known as “Nieves” to her friends. Nieves was regarded as a stunning, vivacious, and utterly charming person, and for these reasons, as well as her kindness to everyone, she was most popular with her flying partners. She was fortunate to have found a career that suited her character and interests so well. She loved to travel and learn using her free time to explore the globe in a typically adventurous manner.
Nieves was born in Bilbao, Spain and studied in England and France. She began her flying career with Pan Am in 1971 and was based in New York before joining the London base in 1978. She was a four-time recipient of the Clipper Ship, a Flight Attendant Recognition Award which was a tribute to her popularity with passengers and crewmembers alike.
Nieves commuted from Madrid to London and flight 103 offered her a convenient check-in time compatible with the flight schedules. She is survived by her husband, Frank Rozenkranz, her mother, and her brother Francisco, and sister Marina de Larracoechea.[1]
Husband and sister search for the truth
Nieves' husband, Frank Rozenkranz, and her sister, Marina de Larracoechea, gave up their careers and dedicated their lives to discovering the truth behind the Lockerbie disaster. The two attended the Pan Am Flight 103/Fatal Accident Inquiry[2] where they were accredited as official representatives and the only lay people given permission to cross- examine witnesses:
"We believe the disaster was preventable," said Marina de Larracoechea. "There were advance warnings which were specific enough for the US government to advise diplomats not to travel on the flight. Yet they were not made public. Not even the crew of the aircraft was told. We want to know why."
She also recalled that three months before the bombing German police found a terrorist cell that had built a bomb designed to blow up an aircraft. It was nearly identical to the device that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103, a Semtex bomb hidden in a radio-cassette player.
"Why was Britain with all its experience of IRA terrorism not alarmed? Why was action not taken? These are questions that have to be asked," de Larracoechea said.
"My sister, 18 months my junior, was the purest, most beautiful person. She was murdered along with 259 other innocent people. They paid with their lives for errors of one administration or another," de Larracoechea said.
"Those responsible should be in jail. And I don't just mean the terrorists. I include the passive accomplices – the people who did not pass on the warnings: the US State Department. The counter-intelligence agents. The Pan Am sales managers." de Larracoechea said.
Dedication
Frank Rozenkranz, who was married to Nieves Larracoechea for 10 years, gave up his insurance broker's business and his house in Spain to dedicate himself to the case:
"Nieves was very much liked by all her colleagues", he said.
"She had close friends all over the world. She loved her job and wanted to stay on although we did not need her salary. She never thought about danger.
"She kept the newspaper cutting on the Tenerife air disaster — the worst ever — but never spoke about crashes. My memory of her keeps me going. Investigating Pan Am Flight 103 is now my life."[3]
