Good Morning...Worst Airliner Crash in US History

[Okla-homey]

May 25,1979 DC-10 crashes, killing all aboard

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/3862/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa10.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
American Airlines DC10

27 years ago on this day in 1979 almost 300 people are killed when an American Airlines flight crashes and explodes after losing one engine just after takeoff. When I say it lost an engine, I mean it literally. The left one fell off.:eek:

It was the beginning of Memorial Day weekend in 1979 when 277 passengers filled Flight 191 from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport bound for Los Angeles. The DC-10 jet took off normally but after rising to only 400 feet, stalled and then rolled to the left. The plane quickly plunged, crashing into Ravenswood Airport, which had been abandoned and was no longer in use.

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/206/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa11.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Last seconds before impact. If you look closely, you can see the fuel spewing from the left wing where #1 engine had been before it fell off.

The plane, fully loaded with fuel, exploded on impact, killing all 277 people on board instantly. The heat from the fire was so intense that firefighters could not approach the crash for close to an hour. The crash also caused a fire at a nearby mobile-home park and killed two bystanders on the ground. This was only natural because in every catastrophe, somebody in a trailer park has to buy it. Its like a law of nature or something. Also, a Standard Oil gas storage facility was also nearly hit.

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/2884/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa17.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Following this crash, all DC-10s in the United States were impounded and grounded by judicial order because there was no immediate determination as to the cause of the crash and it was feared that it could have been caused by a problem common to the jet type.

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/7337/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa18.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
This one fell off. The engine that is, not the d00d.

Ultimately, it was found that the left pylon, which supported the turbofan engine, came loose and took out the hydraulic lines. The left wing slats then retracted and the plane could not lift off properly. The American Airlines maintenance crew was found to be at fault--they had failed to follow the proper procedures when removing the engine and pylon during repairs and maintenance. (I haven't bothered to research the total of the settlement amounts paid by American to victims' families but it had to be massive.)

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/9339/insane7zo5wa.jpg

[walkoffsooner]

Thank's, I remember that sort of.

[SicEmBaylor]

That was surprising to learn actually. I always kind of thought that TWA flight out of JFK was the worst.

[Sooner24]

I remember that very well. There were many people on that plane that worked for AT&T (or one of its subsidiaries) returning home from the AT&T training center in Lisle. It was a pretty big deal to us in the phone company even this far away. :(

[Sooner24]

Also at one time the worst plane crash in US history (as far as lose of life) happened just north of Ardmore. Give us the 411 on that Homey. ;)

[Okla-homey]

Also at one time the worst plane crash in US history (as far as lose of life) happened just north of Ardmore. Give us the 411 on that Homey. ;)

Lockheed Electra L-188 crashed April 22, 1966. It was an "American Flyers" military charter flight hauling a bunch of GI's from the west coast. It had dropped in for re-fueling at the old American Flyers location at the former Ardmore AFB. They crashed in the Arbuckles, burned and only a few guys made it. I think fatalities were substantial but fewer than a hundred.

Ardmore converted Hardy-Murphy Coliseum into a temporary morgue. It was pretty bad.

[1stTimeCaller]

no info about the maintaneance peeps in Tulsa were the folks at fault on the AA crash?

Good jorb Tulsa. ;)

[soonerjoker]

as i remember, the worst crash in the world was on some pacific isle,
when 2 747s ran together, on the ground.

worst in dallas was a crash in 1985 @ north end of DFW. can't remember for sure, think it was a dc-10 or lockheed L-1011.

[Hatfield]

i thought it was Oceanic Flight 815?

[TUSooner]

What was the "best" airliner crash?

I apologize already. :O

[1stTimeCaller]

Con-Air

[Mjcpr]

as i remember, the worst crash in the world was on some pacific isle, when 2 747s ran together, on the ground.

That's probably why he said "US History".

:D

[TUSooner]

That's probably why he said "US History".

:D

Y'all feel free to use my signature if it applies !

[soonerjoker]

that's probly why i said "world" & "dallas".

[Mjcpr]

that's probly why i said "world" & "dallas".

No, that's probably why YOU said "world".

[soonerjoker]

missed your point, if any.

[1stTimeCaller]

missed your point, if any.
it's on the top of his head

[Mjcpr]

it's on the top of his head

Sometimes, when I first wake up.

[1stTimeCaller]

Stanley's head? Your bill-hoolie on Stan's head? I'm confused.

[JohnnyMack]

Room.

[JohnnyMack]

http://www.planecrashinfo.com/worst100.htm

[sooneron]

worst in dallas was a crash in 1985 @ north end of DFW. can't remember for sure, think it was a dc-10 or lockheed L-1011.
I remember that. It was due to wind sheer. I believe it was delta. My Stepmom's sister was flying for delta at the time.

[Jimminy Crimson]

What was the "best" airliner crash?

I apologize already. :O

That one in Des Moines or Souix City, IA, I forget which... that flipped a few times. :eek:

The crash landing at the end of Airplane deservese a mention, too. :D

[Mjcpr]

That one in Des Moines or Souix City, IA, I forget which... that flipped a few times. :eek:
It was SC, Iowa and it was spectacular. The pilot got A LOT of accolades for bringing that plane in as well as he did.....quite a few folks survived that one; it's hard to see how when you see the video of it.

[mdklatt]

as i remember, the worst crash in the world was on some pacific isle,
when 2 747s ran together, on the ground.

Tenerife, in the Canary Islands (Atlantic, not Pacific).



worst in dallas was a crash in 1985 @ north end of DFW. can't remember for sure, think it was a dc-10 or lockheed L-1011.

August 2, 1985: Delta 191, an L-1011. I lived a few miles west of DFW at the time, and was watching the planes on approach while I was cutting the grass. I saw the fatal thunderstorm develop on the north edge of the airport. Our neighbor worked at the airport, and spent all night looking for survivors and recovering bodies. A few days later we drove to Dallas along 114, right past the spot where the left engine took out a Toyota stuck in rush hour traffic.

[mdklatt]

That one in Des Moines or Souix City, IA, I forget which... that flipped a few times. :eek:


Sioux City. That one happend three years after we moved from Sioux City to Fort Worth. As soon as I heard about it on the news I thought, "What the hell was a DC-10 doing landing in Sioux City"?

[Mjcpr]

Sioux City. That one happend three years after we moved from Sioux City to Fort Worth. As soon as I heard about it on the news I thought, "What the hell was a DC-10 doing landing in Sioux City"?

You seem to have a connection to a lot of plane crashes.

Where are you going to be on June 17th and again on June 22nd?

[mdklatt]

You seem to have a connection to a lot of plane crashes.

Heh. There was another Delta crash at DFW in 1988, an MD-80 that wasn't configured properly and stalled on takeoff.



Where are you going to be on June 17th and again on June 22nd?

Don't fly out of Will Rogers and you'll be fine.

[Taxman71]

All I remember about the 1985 Dallas crash was that the guy who did the "No, that's Southwest Ford" car commericals in OKC died on that plane.

[Penguin]

I lost 3 cousins in the Pan Am crash at Kenner, LA in 1982. Wind shear was to blame.

[TUSooner]

I lost 3 cousins in the Pan Am crash at Kenner, LA in 1982. Wind shear was to blame.

I'm very sorry to learn that, Penguin.

I was trying to remember what year that was. (Kenner is a 'burb of New Orleans and the home the N.O. airport, BTW.) My wife was working at a jewelry store on Williams Blvd. when I heard about the crash, the radio said it crashed near Williams, and planes often flew over her store. Turns out the flight pattern kept flights well south of her on that bad day.

That was horrible not just for the loss of the plane and passengers, but for the neighborhood where the plane crashed and burned. Many lives were lost and homes destroyed on the ground. "Wind shear" entered my vocabulary on that day.

[Rogue]

Homey, I hate to be a nag....BUT you really should consider a different greeting for the really tragic news like this. Instead of
Good Day, Hunnerds Die in Fiery Crash it might be less of a shock for me to read
Historic Tragedy - People Killin' Each Other over Property Rights or
Good Morning - Baby raper shot on the courthouse steps. You see, how can you wish me well and at the same time ruin my day with some horrible story of death, destruction, or human depravity? It's all very confusing.

[Boomer_Sooner_sax]

It was SC, Iowa and it was spectacular. The pilot got A LOT of accolades for bringing that plane in as well as he dead.....quite a few folks survived that one; it's hard to see how when you see the video of it.

Yikes...this is one really bad typo, especially for this thread.

The pilot of that United DC-10 actually did an amazing job. Since the plane lost its hydrolics, he actually landed the plane but thrusting up and down the three different engines to turn the aircraft. Quite an amazing feat since no one in a simulator after the crash got within 10 miles or something of the airport.

[Mjcpr]

Yikes...this is one really bad typo, especially for this thread.

The pilot of that United DC-10 actually did an amazing job. Since the plane lost its hydrolics, he actually landed the plane but thrusting up and down the three different engines to turn the aircraft. Quite an amazing feat since no one in a simulator after the crash got within 10 miles or something of the airport.

Oh yeah?! Well, it's hydraulics, mister!! :mad:

:D

I can't type lately.

[starclassic tama]

looking through that page of the 100 worse airline incidents, i'm amazed to see that in some of these cases people actually survived. how in the world would you survive something like this?

[Boomer_Sooner_sax]

Oh yeah?! Well, it's hydraulics, mister!! :mad:

:D

I can't type lately.

Haha, you got me there. I am with ya. My typing "skillz" have gone suck lately.

[Sooner24]

Lockheed Electra L-188 crashed April 22, 1966. It was an "American Flyers" military charter flight hauling a bunch of GI's from the west coast. It had dropped in for re-fueling at the old American Flyers location at the former Ardmore AFB. They crashed in the Arbuckles, burned and only a few guys made it. I think fatalities were substantial but fewer than a hundred.

Ardmore converted Hardy-Murphy Coliseum into a temporary morgue. It was pretty bad.

Here is a link to some more info on the Ardmore crash. I was 10 at the time and was stunned when they broke into the national programing with "Breaking News". When they said Ardmore I could not believe it.

http://www.brightok.net/~bridges/crash66.html

Here is a story that ran in the Ardmore paper a few years ago.

Memorial for American Flyers crash unveiled
By Amber England
Staff Writer

Tears streamed down the faces of family members, as rain fell like tears from heaven from the sky Saturday afternoon, at the American Flyers Memorial dedication. The dedication occurred 34 years after 81 men and women lost their lives in a plane crash on the Goddard Ranch north of Ardmore, near Springer. It is the worst airline disaster in the history of Oklahoma.

The dedication of the memorial has been the only formal memorial family members have been able to attend since the crash, because this has been the only memorial for this terrible tragedy.

The crash occurred on a foggy evening as the Lockheed Electra was approaching Ardmore's Gene Autry airport. Ninety-two soldiers and six crew members were aboard.

Ardmore Mayor Sheryl Ellis welcomed family members to Ardmore in her speech. She wanted family members to know the citizens of Ardmore have not forgotten about their losses.

"The citizens of Ardmore have shared your memories and your sorrow for the last 34 years. We believe the citizens of Ardmore gave all that they had, and did all that they could at that time, for such a monumental air disaster. And today we give to those who perished a memorial so that they will never be forgotten, and they will be memorialized forever and ever. This memorial will be a place to come to be still, and to remember and perhaps the wind will blow from that ridge on Goddard Ranch and will gently lift your spirits," she said.

District Judge Tom Walker gave thanks to family members for making the trip to Ardmore for the ceremony, and again told family members their losses would never be forgotten.

"For you family members, we do not intend that this be a somber occasion. Though it may be a solemn occasion, it is not somber in our minds. I can tell you exactly what was happening that night. They were smoking and joking. I can tell you exactly what the crew was doing, I don't even have to close my eyes to imagine it. That crew was doing everything they could to make it light and keep spirits up because they knew that those soldiers stood a very good chance in a very short time of going to Vietnam and they made a contribution just as significant as those soldiers did," Walker said.

What started out in February as a dream for Butch Brides has turned into a reality. A reality which family members are forever grateful.

Bridges is a historian by nature, and took the initiative to start the process of the memorial dedication. He built a website explaining the crash, and asked for donations for a small granite memorial to be placed near the crash site.

"I never dreamed in February that it would turn out this way. It has really turned out nice. I first had one idea, then another, and it just kept growing until we have what you see today," Bridges said.

Today there is a granite memorial with the names of victims of the crash. There are two granite benches with names of contributors placed on each side of the memorial. There is a picnic table for people to sit and reflect upon the tragedy. Flowers and shrubs surround the memorial, along with a flag for each victim.

"I'm just glad that they did something," said Leo Burnett, whose son Leo Jr. died in the crash. "These kids weren't killed in Vietnam, so their names weren't put on the wall. It really bothered me through the years that their names didn't go on the wall. This helped a lot."

Burnett said he was very pleased with the memorial, and plans to contribute money in the future for the continuation of the memorial. His daughter-in-law, Theresa Burnett, said later this summer at the family reunion, a table will be reserved in Leo Jr.'s honor and donations will be taken to give to the memorial.

"We would have sent money before, but we didn't know any of this was going on until they contacted us for the dedication ceremony. Now we will send money in the future," Leo Sr. said.

Sabra Pica, daughter of crew member Anthony Pica, said, "It finally puts something permanent that has been permanently in peoples mind for 34 years."

[StoopTroup]

I've heard the story of the DC-10 Maintenance error. I believe you can even look it up on the DOT or FAA site(s).

As I've heard the crew changing the engine in Tulsa had been working on the installation using a forklift to bring the engine into place for mounting. They had scheduled breaks and during the break the hydraulics bled off the huge forklift during the crews breaktime. It evidently put enough stress on what they now call the "Tombstone Bearing" that it cracked the engine mounting housing. No one noticed after returning to the installation and continued business as usual. The rest is history. Plenty of folks really re-thought their careers and lives after that one from what I'm told.

As the story goes...engine change procedures were changed at American after that so that it would never happen again.

[Getem]

I remember shortly after I started at AA in 92, I had to go out to archives and help dig out some old invoices. A friend of mine took me over to a section with boxes all locked up and told me they were full of pieces from the DC-10 crash. Supposedly the people that work in archives swore that they sometimes heard unexplainable noises coming from that area, and avoided it like the plague. I didn't hear anything. But then, it was daylight. I did get a sudden chill...

[Penguin]

Well, if anybody is interested in details, I will share (I'm kind of a nut when it comes to aviation disasters).

When it came to changing the engine on a DC-10, the manufacturer stated that maintenance crews are to remove the engine and then remove the pylon that attaches the engine to the wing. It was a time consuming two step process. Maintenance departments at American and Continental developed their own procedure by removing the engine and pylon in one unit. This saved hours of maintenance time, however it created too much stress on the pylons.

In January if 1979, Continental reported that they had accidentally damaged the wing on two DC-10's. Amazingly, this brought on no maintenance procedures review by Continental, American, McDonnell Douglas, or the FAA. Both incidents were labelled as "human error" with no details given on how the wings were damaged.

Fast forward to May 25, 1979. The doomed DC-10 rolled to takeoff speed and rotated. At that time, the damaged pylon on the left engine gave out and the engine ripped from the wing, flew up over the top of the wing, and smashed onto the runway. Unfortunately, at this point, the crew was committed to takeoff.

Two main things to remember here. First of all, for all the crew knew, the engine had just failed. There was no way for them to know that the left engine had completely fallen off. Secondly, the engine ripping away not only damaged the fuel lines, but damaged the hydraulics lines.

Well, the crew did what they are supposed to do when they lose engine (not knowing that they literally lost an engine). They accelerated to V2+6 knots (159 knots) and pitched up to a 14 degree attitude which was all by the book. Unfortunately, on the DC-10, the slats in front of the wings are not physically locked into place. Hydraulic pressure keeps them held in place. So, with hydraulic lines cut, the slats near the engine were immediately slammed back due to the force of the air. Due to this improper configuration of slats, the stall speed at that attitude was later calculated to be, you guessed it, 159 knots. The left wing stalled and the plane began to roll to the left. It was a very windy day, so the crew may not have been alarmed initially by the roll. At an altitude of 300 feet, there was no time for the crew to figure out what was going on.


There's a whole lot more boring details, but I think you get the gist of it.