The Friday Flashback: American Airlines Flight 191

By Chuck Sudo in Miscellaneous on May 23, 2008 5:10PM

American Airlines has been taking it on the chin in recent weeks, from having their flights grounded for inspections to their announcement this week that they're charging an extra fee for luggage to make up for rising fuel prices. This week, we revisit one of the more tragic moments in American Airlines history.

Twenty-nine years ago Sunday, American Airlines Flight 191, en route to Los Angeles, crashed shortly after takeoff from O'Hare. The crash killed all 271 passengers aboard and two people on the ground. Right after takeoff, the number one engine on the port (left) wing fell off the DC-10 jumbo jet, crashing to the runway. As the pilots tried to recover from this and land the plane, they found out that the dropped engine caused hydraulic lines on the wing to sever. That engine also provided electricity to the captain's instruments - specifically, the stall warning, slats disagreement, and stick shaker, which are only available to the captain. They had no idea of the plane's configuration on the port side.

As the slats retracted on the left wing, the stall speed on that wing rose to 160 knots. The starboard (right) wing, still providing lift for stalling speed, went into a 112-degree uncontrollable left bank and crashed in a field 4600 feet from the northwest runway at 3:04 p.m. The unused jet fuel exploded upon impact, sending a plume of smoke visible from the Loop.

The crash was the deadliest plane crash on American soil until the September 11th, 2001 attacks. (Wikipedia, Gendisasters, eSsortment)