Flight 191, 30 Years Later

By Marcus Gilmer in News on May 25, 2009 6:30PM

It was 30 years today that American Airlines Flight 191, from O'Hare to Los Angeles, crashed shortly after take-off, killing all 271 people on board and two more on the ground and remains the deadliest single airliner crash in U.S. history. As the plane proceeded to take off, the number one engine on the left wing separated from the plane, flew over the wing, and crashed on the runway behind the plane. Yet the plane continued with its take off, eventually reaching a height of around 300 feet before banking to the left and then crashing, striking a hangar at the old Ravenswood Airport.

Two workers from the Courtney-Velo Excavating Company, which was using the hangar, were killed with several others injured. Debris from the crash also flew into a nearby mobile home park, injuring several others. The NTSB later ruled that the most likely cause of the crash was damage caused to the left wing engine pylon, caused during an engine change a few months before the crash. More on the FAA's findings can be read here and for more information on the crash, check out these sites. The Daily Herald also has a piece today on the anniversary of the crash.