'I love Sam with every beat of my heart' - family of Penwortham man killed in Boeing crash seek verdict of unlawful killing at today's inquest

Sam, 25, was among 157 passengers and crew killed when the Boeing jet he was travelling on fell from the skies just six minutes after take off from Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019.

The crash, along with an earlier fatal accident involving a Boeing 737 Max 8, was the subject of a Netflix documentary last year called Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, which became one of the most watched on the streaming service.

Finally, more than four years after the crash, an inquest is to be held today (July 10), at Horsham County Council in West Sussex, and Sam’s dad Mark, mum Deborah, and younger brother Tom, along with the loved ones of the other British passengers who lost their lives, are seeking a verdict of unlawful killing.

Following an in-depth probe into the accidents, investigators identified faults in the sensors and new flight control software that had not been explained to pilots. The incorrect activation of the MCAS system, which put the aircraft in an “unrecoverable dive”, caused the deaths of 346 people in the loss of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia six months earlier. It was only after the second crash that the entire fleet of Boeing 737 Max series aircraft was grounded.

In January 2021, the US Government charged Boeing with conspiracy to defraud the US in relation to the certification process of the new 737 Max series aircraft.

Boeing agreed a $2.5bn settlement with the US Department of Justice in fines and compensation, which included a $500m fund to compensate families of the victims.

Dedicated his life to humanitarian work

Sam, a former pupil at Priory High School and Runshaw College, had dedicated his life to humanitarian work and had previously helped refugees in Jordan.

He worked for the Norwegian Refugee Council and was on his way to Nairobi when the Boeing 737 Max 8 came down shortly after take-off.

Sam’s family will address the inquest on Monday with a powerful statement on their love, pride and admiration for Sam and how their lives have been broken beyond repair since that fateful day in March 2019.

Sam’s dad Mark allowed the Lancashire Post to see the statement prior to the inquest. In it they say: “Describing Sam is an impossible task, he was a special person to his family and to so many other people. Nothing we can say will fully show you who he was.

“Put simply he made the world a better place, for those lucky enough to know him, to love him and to be loved by him and for those he dedicated his life to helping.

"Sam was so many things, kind, compassionate, thoughtful, caring, a good listener, supportive, loving, altruistic, loyal, dedicated, intelligent, witty and very humble. He had an infectious sense of humour, ready with a pun for any occasion. He had a warmth about him and his passion for Human Rights came with a drive and the inner strength to make a difference.

"Sam’s interest in current affairs led him to study International Relations at Leeds University and it is while on that course that the Arab Spring started, and humanitarian crises spread across the Middle East and North Africa. It lit a fire in him to go and do something about it and so he did just that. Setting out in 2015 aged 21 to Jordan to work for a grass roots NGO helping refugees in Amman. He arrived knowing no one in Jordan but soon had an amazing circle of friends.”

‘Losing Sam was a hugely devastating blow to us all’

The statement continues: "Our lives changed forever on March 10, 2019, and will never be the same. We lost a son, brother, friend and confidant. The wider family lost a Grandson and Nephew and Cousin, his incredible circle of friends is devastated. A promising career was ended. He never truly realised the difference he made to so many people.”

Sam’s mum Deborah said: “I love Sam with every beat of my heart, and I will miss him every day of my life.

“I think about Sam every day, several times a day. I have so many memories but no tomorrows with him. I miss his infectious smile which lit up his face and reached his eyes. I miss the text messages saying “Hi mum, how was yourday? Do you want to Chat? Love you.”

Sam’s dad Mark said: “Losing Sam was a hugely devastating blow to all of us. No words can adequately describe the pain and the trauma we have been through, and the effects of his loss will be carried by us always. It has taken four and a half years to get to this point and it has been a frustrating battle to get to the truth and have some accountability from Boeing.

“Boeing lost their way and developed a culture where profit, cost reduction and time to market were the priorities and safety was sacrificed. Corners were cut and warnings ignored, worse still the authorities and airlines were deceived.

“People need to realise that the death of Sam and too many others were unlawful killings.”

Vincent Nichol, solicitor for Irwin Mitchell representing the families, said: “The delays to the publication of the Air Accident Report meant the families have had to endure a long wait for answers regarding the crash that lead to the death of their loved ones.

“The main aim of the families is that the truth becomes known so no one else has to suffer the way they have - and that the travelling public is safer as a consequence.”

Anything other than a verdict of unlawful killing in West Sussex today will be a bitter blow to the Pegram family and the families of the other British victims who have worked tirelessly in their pursuit of justice.