Download 1970`s DC-10 Disasters By: Clark Mosley American Airlines Flight

1970'S DC-10
DISASTERS
By: Clark Mosley
AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 191
▪ American Airlines Flight 191 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight
from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to Los Angeles
International Airport. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 crashed on May
25, 1979, moments after takeoff from Chicago. All 258 passengers and
13 crew on board were killed, along with two people on the ground. It is
the deadliest aviation accident to occur on U.S. soil.
BACKGROUND
▪ A review of the aircraft's flight logs and maintenance records showed
that no mechanical discrepancies were noted for May 11, 1979. On the
day of the accident, the records had not been removed from the
aircraft, as was standard procedure, and they were destroyed in the
accident.
ENGINE SEPARATION
▪ Witnesses were in universal
agreement that Flight 191 had
not struck any foreign objects on
the runway and no pieces of the
wing or other plane components
were found with Engine No. 1,
proving that nothing had broken
off and hit it. The engine
separation thus could only have
come from an internal failure. he
damage was not enough to
cause an immediate failure of
the plane though.
"When we first got there, we were told that it
was a cargo jet," Farinella recalled. "However,
after you were on the scene and you spotted
the first body or remains, there was no
question that it was a passenger jet. The field
was just totally ablaze because of all of the jet
fuel. Nothing could prepare you for that."
THE ACCIDENT
▪ The flight began its takeoff roll at
3:02 p.m. Everything appeared
normal until just after the plane
reached takeoff speed, when the
number one engine and its pylon
assembly that attached it to the
wing separated from the aircraft,
ripping away a 3-foot (0.91 m)
section of the leading edge of
the left wing. Both the engine
and pylon flipped over the top of
the wing and landed on the
runway.
▪ In addition to the engine's
failure, several related systems
failed. The hydraulic systems had
also failed due to the fact that an
engine had been disconnected
from the plane. As a result, the
left wing entered a full
aerodynamic stall. The plane
continued rolling until it finally
turned completely upside down
and slammed wingtip-first into
an open field at a 112-degree
bank approximately 4,600 ft
from the end of the runway.
DC-10S AFTERWARD
In response to this accident, American Airlines was fined
$500,000 by the United States government for improper
maintenance procedures.
The crash of another DC-10 in November 1979, Air New
Zealand Flight 901, added to the DC-10's negative reputation.
The crash of flight 901, an Antarctic sightseeing flight which hit
a mountain, was caused by several human and environmental
factors not related to the airworthiness of the DC-10, and the
aircraft was later completely exonerated in that accident.
The crash of flight 901, an Antarctic sightseeing flight which hit
a mountain, was caused by several human and environmental
factors not related to the airworthiness of the DC-10, and the
aircraft was later completely exonerated in that accident. The
1989 crash of another DC-10, United Airlines Flight 232,
restored some of the aircraft's reputation.
MEDIA REACTION
▪ The crash of Flight 191 brought strong criticism from the media
regarding the DC-10's safety and design. The DC-10 had been involved
in two accidents related to the design of its cargo doors, American
Airlines Flight 96 and Turkish Airlines Flight 981. The final blow to the
airplane's reputation was dealt two weeks after the crash, when the
aircraft was grounded by the FAA. Although the aircraft itself would
later be exonerated, the damage in the public's eye was already done.
THE ACCIDENT CONTINUED
▪ Large sections of aircraft debris were hurled by the force of the impact
into an adjacent trailer park, destroying five trailers and several cars.
Another DC-10 had also crashed into an old aircraft hangar at the
former site of Ravenswood Airport that was used for storage located at
the edge of the airport. The nearly-full fuel load triggered a massive
explosion. Flight 191 was almost completely destroyed, with no
significant pieces remaining. The only sizable components left were the
landing gear, engines, and tail section.
SOURCES
▪ Taylor, Troy (2003). "Lingering Sprits of Flight 191". prairieghosts.com.
▪ "Special Report: American Airlines Flight 191". AirDisaster.com.
Archived from the original on July 21, 2006.
▪ "Aircraft Accident: DC. 10 ZK-NZP Flight 901". New Zealand Disasters.
Christchurch City Libraries. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011.
▪ https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111014/news/710149919/
▪ "Accident Photo: American 191". AirDisaster.Com.