It was the first time Wales had won the Triple Crown in almost 40 years.

The date was March 11, 1950. The scene was set. Ireland against Wales in Belfast. A tight match played in front of a packed crowd saw the scores tied at 3-3. A draw would end Welsh hopes of a first Grand Slam for 39 years, but centre Malcolm Thomas had other ideas. He crossed late to secure a victory that would, should, have made history.

What happened the following day ensured that the game, the Triple Crown, the resulting Grand Slam, would all be rendered irrelevant, as 75 supporters, who had seen Thomas cross the line in Belfast, crashed to their death in a field on the outskirts of a Welsh village.

On the afternoon of Sunday, March 12, 1950, those supporters boarded an Avro 690 Tudor V plane named Star Girl at Dublin Airport, where they had travelled to from Belfast following the match the previous day.

Spirits were high. Those on board had just witnessed history and were looking forward to returning to Llandow Airfield - a former RAF base 15 miles west of Cardiff - to celebrate the triumph on home soil.

They never made it.

This eerie picture of the passengers was captured moments before the flight took off
Passengers board the plane on Sunday, March 12, 1950

As the plane, which had been used in the Berlin Airlift of 1948, started its descent above the Vale of Glamorgan, all seemed well, with relatives and friends of those on board waiting excitedly for the aircraft to land.

Then, shortly after 3pm, it was noticeable that the plane was travelling at a low altitude - abnormally low for one so close to its landing strip. The pilot took action and pulled the aircraft upwards, so as not to approach the runway too low.

After rising a couple of hundred feet, the engines stalled and then, to the horror of those on the ground, the plane began to fall.

It plummeted without control from the south Wales sky and crashed violently in a field in Sigingstone, a small hamlet two miles east of Llandow.

Some 83 people were on board, 72 of them dying instantly. Eight more died in hospital. Only three survived - Gwyn Anthony, Handel Rogers and Mel Thomas.

The former told a South Wales Echo reporter in the days that followed: “The engines opened up, followed by a steep climb. I realised a plane that size didn’t manoeuvre in that manner.

“I swivelled round with my safety belt on and braced myself against the seat. Next thing I remember was a bang... things flying about.”

The latter had been in the plane’s cubicle at the time of crash. He recovered from his injuries, but only after a four-month stay at a military hospital in St Athan.

He said in a 2010 interview: “It was the cubicle which saved my life, I’m sure. There were two nurses who looked after me constantly in the hospital and they were both lovely. But when I came round I asked where my friends were and they would not tell me that they were dead.”

Survivor Gwyn Anthony pictured with a nurse as he recovered at a military hospital in St Athan
One of the other survivors, Handel Rogers, with his young daughter

Villages and communities across Wales were shattered by the tragedy.

Llanharan RFC lost seven members to the crash. Mel Thomas, the eighth member on board, was the longest living survivor, passing away in 2011 at the age of 86. The tragedy is still commemorated on the club’s badge and a memorial adorns the clubhouse bar.

Clubs in Abercarn and Risca were also affected by the disaster, and families from all over south Wales lost loved ones.

The death toll of 80 - 75 passengers and five crew - made the Llandow crash the world’s worst air disaster up to that point.

Changes in regulations and training and safety protocols have evolved significantly since the disaster. In 1950, there were no flight simulators, so pilots may not have necessarily experienced such trying and difficult conditions before.

A public inquiry, held in the months after the crash, proved inconclusive, but a possible cause of what happened to the aircraft was the uneven loading of luggage. There was no weight restriction on luggage at the time.

Also, due to the extra demand, additional seats had been added inside the plane to accommodate all those who wanted to travel. One theory is that the extra weight on board contributed to the stability of the plane and the subsequent shifting of the centre of gravity, causing it to get into difficulty as it approached its destination.

Air travel today is far more advanced and sophisticated, with strict guidelines on baggage weight issued by each airline.

Furthermore, the International Air Transport Association provides safety standards for airline safety and security across the world.

Emergency services dashed to the scene after the plane came down
What was left of the wreckage

Llandow Airfield, which opened in 1940, closed in 1957. Its name is now synonymous with an event, 69 years ago, which made headlines around the world. It made the front pages of national newspapers.

The Western Mail set up a disaster fund for bereaved communities which raised more than £40,000, which would equate to almost £1.4m today.

Two weekends after what remains this country's worst air disaster - it was the worst in Britain until 1972 - Wales beat France 21-0 in Cardiff, securing their first Grand Slam since 1911.

Before kick-off, those who had perished 13 days previously were honoured by a minute’s silence and an emotional rendition of Last Post, in front of a packed and stunned Arms Park.