American Airlines Crash - 1979 | Today In History | 25 May 17

[@kimmer6]

I was booked on 191 to go to vacation with my mom, dad, and brother in Los Angeles. I had the most terrible feeling of doom and gloom while waiting for my cab to the airport. As soon as I figured out that I wasn't getting on ANY airplane, I got an instant feeling of relief like I was standing under a warm tropical waterfall. I went back to my office to get another assignment. That evening I called my parents to tell them that I wasn't coming home. They were wrecked, unable to speak and were sobbing uncontrollably. My brother finally got on the phone and blurted out that I was dead. I assured him I was not. They called my hotel room several times that evening just to make sure their minds were not playing tricks on them. I was 26 years old then. The crash was 39 years ago. This anniversary happened to fall on a Friday again. I think about this crash several times a week since it happened. I might be on borrowed time.

[@369Bandido]

Keep on living. These birds were problems from jump. Every time I see a dc10 or MD11 I say a prayer for the safe trip.

[@javiergilvidal1558]

Impressive! So you had some sort of premonition on your way to the airport and decided to turn back? Why do you think that premonition came? You hadn´t flown before and it was mere dread of flying, or you were accustomed to aircraft but decided you were not going to take THAT plane? In any case I´m glad you survived, but I can try and imagine the spooky sensations haunting you ever since.....

[@kimmer6]

@@javiergilvidal1558 Javier, I was waiting on the sidewalk for the cab to the airport and suddenly got the worst feeling of hopelessness, worry, and the burning feeling that something was horrible wrong. The feeling was even much worse that the afternoon earlier in February 1979 when I walked in on my fiancee jumping up and down on her boss's pecker on his couch. She was wearing the nightie I bought her for Christmas. I have not seen her in 41 years..... I did not fear flying at all. I loved window seats and flew to all of my jobs, filled a 32 page USA passport in 17 months, went on maybe 350 commercial flights in that time. There was no fear of flying in me. But....seconds after it hit me that day that I'm not getting on ANY airplane, the feeling changed to peace, joy, and everything was right. It was like standing under a warm tropical waterfall. I had the cab take me back to the office where I got my next 2 month assignment in Venezuela. I didn't know that 191 crashed until I woke up in my hotel room after an afternoon nap and called my mom and dad in Los Angeles wanting to tell them that I was not coming home and would be taking on one more job . Man, they were crying, unable to talk for a few minutes. Pop had been waiting for me to call from the LAX baggage claim so he could bring me home. They were sure I had been killed. It had been all over the TV news that afternoon.They called me maybe 3 times that night just to be sure their minds were not playing tricks on them. It was not unusual to change plans very quickly back then. GE could send me anywhere on the planet with about a 3 hour notice. The very next day I rode 2 different DC-10's and a DC-9 to get to Miami, Caracas, then to Maracaibo without a care in the world about flying. Where that feeling came from....I don't know. But I would have died at age 26 if I didn't listen to that warning. Next Monday, May 25 will be 41 years since the crash. I will remember them all. I never thought much about the crash...even the very next day or months after it happened. Then after randomly meeting my new girlfriend at a flea market in 2001 who happened to fly for American Airlines, I got a whole new view of the crash. The weird part was that her room mate and friend Flight Attendant Nancy Sullivan died that day on 191. I got to hear a lot of some really sad insider stories and it felt like pieces of a puzzle were fitting together. Now the older I get it amazes me at the razor edge dividing my life to live or die happened because of a terrible vague feeling. I think of the event and that day many times a week these days.

[@cherylavery1199]

My sister was on that plane, she too, was 26 years old. I am so glad you had such a strong feeling and didn't fly that day.

[@kimmer6]

@@cherylavery1199 Thank you. I will remember her, too, on Monday. I don't pray much except for people needing remembering.

[@kathy4655]

41 years ago today.....sad beyond words.....

[@BehindFor17Hours]

The DC-10 didn’t get the nickname “death cruiser” for nothing.

[@robertyoung3992]

It was the fault of maintenance,not that of the aircraft

[@fredflinstone5431]

The plane was badly enginered.... Not a 747... It had issues... Like the 737 Max (Not the previous 737s)

[@robertyoung3992]

@@fredflinstone5431 Flight 191 was a maintenance error

[@JDAbelRN]

Wildly successful plane. Maintenence shortcuts were the issue, not design nor engineering. Copies are still flying profitably today.

[@alhanes5803]

@@fredflinstone5431 DC-10 was a great airplane. You're just regurgitating internet garbage.

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe it was the fault of American Airlines maintenance crews taking a short cut by using a forklift to do the maintenance work. Their shift ended and the forklift was left holding up the weight of the engine, but the lift slowly dropped some, creating a crack in the pylon holding up the engine. There are videos of the plane taking off at Chicago and losing its engine on the runaway. The control tower seen this, but the plane had already lifted off. A very terrible crash blamed on shoddy maintenance work by American Airlines.

[@nadiazahroon6573]

john g he committed suicide in the early 1980 in Tulsa , OK. By carbon monoxide poisoning. I lived in Tulsa at the time and it was his fault. You can't cut corners with airplane maintenance costs. The bolts was cracked and the engine feel off. Tragedy.

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

@@nadiazahroon6573 wow, I didn't know. Sad all the way around. Thanks

[@ashgreene4914]

but that doesn't explain why a three engine plane cannot fly with two engines when one has failed, which highlights a flawed design of the DC10 as well.

[@Hugh1966]

There is no video of the engine actually falling off the plane . You’re a bullshitter .

[@horizontoday7874]

@@Hugh1966 It did, tho

[@omarimack194]

Funny how after all it’s problems, it became one of the safest aircraft.

[@boneeatingsilicate580]

I loved it..roomy, powerful takeoffs, great aircraft..the only correction needed was redesign of rear cargo door locking pins. Maintenance cutting corners caused this one.

[@LeDerpLegend]

Also could have used a electrical rewire, as when it lost engine 1, it lost power to most of it's critical components including warning systems.

[@boneeatingsilicate580]

@@LeDerpLegend yes, all 3 engines should have supported flight controls but slowing down to small speed should have NEVER been a part of training.

[@markfernandes9715]

There WERE design flaws on the first DC10 series- the Unusual outward opening rear cargo door ( not the inward plug type used on other wide bodies) which required both crew and ground staff to ensure was correctly locked with an accentuator and a manual locking system. This wasn't done correctly in Detroit and Paris; the electrical bus bar powering some flight control systems and instrumentation powered by the engine with no back up power. Like Concorde, these accidents were a combination of design flaws and maintenance issues.

[@alhanes5803]

@@markfernandes9715 All wide bodies of the day had outward swinging Caro doors. As they still do today.

[@scott1564]

I think this was the first plane crash I paid any attention to. I was in jr. high and believe it or not, I can still remember the night pretty vividly even though I wasn't in the Chicago area and had no connection to anyone involved in the crash or with AA at the time. I was staying over at a friend's house for his birthday party and the several of us had gone to see Jaws at the dollar theater. We got back, had pizza, and stayed up a bit watching the coverage of this on Nightline or some other late night news program (may just have been a continuation of network news going on). I still remember them (the news) talking about a mobile home park being right near the crash site and how the plane had not gotten very far from the airport and I kept wondering why those homes were anywhere near the runways. I was very familiar with DFW Airport and didn't think there was housing anywhere near where the runways would end -- although there may be some a bit closer now. At any rate, I've paid a lot of attention to plane crashes since, including the 2 Delta ones at DFW in the mid-80s. The first Delta crash in 1985 flight number? 191! I'm not in to superstition but that is a wild coincidence. This crash is just so bizarre that if one or more people had changed just ONE thing -- the way they took off and re-installed the engine, CHECKED the mounting piece that failed (if possible), told a higher supervisor what shortcuts were going on and that supervisor had stopped it, the stick shaker had not been disabled, the pilots had sensed the plane was stalling, and probably half a dozen other things -- this crash might not have happened. It burns me up (no pun intended) that AA literally wants to ignore and forget all accidents and in most cases probably not even learn from them. They need to have a fully staffed accident department (called something else, obviously) where one group runs point when something happens -- mobilizing local resources, making necessarily memorials, etc. -- and another group actively seeks to learn enough so there isn't a future accident caused by similar issues. But they seemed to be content with letting their insurance carrier foot most of the bill and absorb the bad PR. Unfortunately, they are not alone. But that's pretty shitty if you ask me. Oh, well, sorry for the rant, but it was necessary.

[@AllanRogen]

Wow , all those crashes before and nothing done !! Truly Unbelievable

[@dionysiusrex]

Had ticket for that flight. Missed it due to a late ride (thanks Marty).

[@jancalipo490]

I was on the passager list for 4mins and decided to take another 3 hours later instead. I was woke up in the gate area by a priest praying over the loud speakers

[@goingslightlymad7172]

The L-1011 Tristar was a better plane.

[@robertyoung3992]

yet it was the first heavy or jumbo to crash with fatalities 28 December 1972 Miami Everglades 101 killed

[@2345allthebest]

@@robertyoung3992 that's because the crew was too busy troubleshooting a burned out light bulb that indicated a gear problem. The gear was actually fine. The crew was so busy troubleshooting the light and trying to check the nose gear that they weren't aware one of them accidentally bumped the yoke and disengaged the auto pilot... it flew right into the swamp

[@scottyjohnson3120]

@@2345allthebest Yep. And the other L-1011 that crashed was in Dallas Texas, Delta Flight 191. That was caused by a microburst and pilot error. Neither crash was caused by design defects or faulty maintenance. So yes, I agree that the L-1011 was a better plane.

[@charlese.dobisjr.4406]

I am involved in this DC-10 accident. Lance Corporal Fred Eaton was on board

[@vjfeefeecat586]

And Freddy Laker was correct

[@dccoulthard]

100% correct

[@brkitdwn]

Yes. The DC10 was a good sound aircraft. Unfortunately, airline maintenance was to blame. In all instances. Most people don't or won't get this, because they don't have a true grasp of the industry.

[@alhanes5803]

@@brkitdwn Yep.👍

[@frankmosch877]

I remember when this happend, I was about 13 or 14 yrs old, living in Naperville in a house my parents had built and just bought,I remember, seeing it on the front page of the newspaper,and on the news,at the time, my dad, being a tool and dye maker, working in elk Grove village, told me that he had seen the fire ball and then Gian,t smoke cloud Wich travald, yes I remember it well when it happend in 1979.....Frank misssssschief

[@thomashumphrey48]

There Are No 'Experts' and Will We Ever Learn!😮 No One Is Ever Completely Safe 😢

[@mr.thaifed.2912]

Deadly Fligth!!😢😢😢😢

[@frankmosch3757]

The bolts used should have been at least 3-4 times the diameter with thrust washers also at least 4 of them in series along with thicker mounting flanges how in the heck can you keep a big powerful thrust turbo fan mounted solid with there M-D setup darn them

[@paulazemeckis7835]

Video should include the 3rd crash and also the root cause of the crashes....latch on cargo door.

[@robertyoung3992]

This was an improperly installed engine on the pylon

[@anandguruji83]

American Airlines Flight 191

[@anandguruji83]

American Airlines Flight 191

[@fairfaxcat1312]

anandguruji83 Flight 191.

[@AC-SlaUkr]

191 wasn’t specifically the fault of the dc19’s design rather shoddy American Airlines maintenance not removing the engine 8n the proscribed manner.

[@NovejSpeed3]

Dear Media of 2020....This is how you research and present your subject! Learn from it and do better! This is an example of fantastic reporting!

[@2345allthebest]

The key issue being not one BIT of opinion injected here... now that's all we get.

[@barbarakauppi9915]

Nearly forgot what that looked like!

[@brkitdwn]

The DC10 was a good sound aircraft. Unfortunately, airline maintenance was to blame. In all instances. Most people don't or won't get this, because they don't have a true grasp of the industry.

[@rosemaryangela1825]

It’s a shame that the L1011 wasn’t the forerunner, much more beautiful & safe

[@Bubs1214]

GOD BLESS all those that lost their lives that horrible day in Chicago and to their families. As an avid aviator myself its still to this day an accident that was 100% MONEY related and 0% Pilot error. My thoughts and prayers to the courageous pilots that threaded a needle to get the plane in the ONLY available spot without causing further massive loss of life. R.I.P. to all those aboard.

[@kimosabbe50]

Not 100% money related, more like 100% ease of engine removal related. It was against McDonnell Douglas directives on how the engine should be removed; engine removed from pylon, then Pylon from bulkhead. Instead maintenance workers at A/A, Continental and United were all removing both the engine and pylon together.

[@Tbone0163]

The instructions to throttle back which led to the stall were wrong too. They would have made it.

[@rabh9338]

TBone's Garage But they were trained to do so and they did not know that the engine was gone along with the hydraulics

[@guyhillock4860]

@@Tbone0163 I agree that would have prevented the stall but they had no way to bring that thing down because of the Hydraulics lost and part of the wing in the front on the left side. That plane was doomed the split second it left the runway!!

[@ScorpioBornIn69]

Now it is the 737 Max are the new death planes.

[@twany442]

Boeing merged with McDonald Douglas and it's been spotty, shady development ever since.

[@javiergilvidal1558]

@@twany442 Didn´t merge. Swallowed Douglas up.

[@kuro9410_ilust]

@@javiergilvidal1558 nah its THE OTHER WAY ROUND

[@alhanes5803]

@@kuro9410_ilust Nope

[@LiterallyEmilee]

My great aunt Patrica Clark died in this plane crash 💔

[@fh346]

OMG Emilee!!!!! I am So Very SORRY!!!!! This Accident Haunts Me to This Day!!!!! I was 17 years old when this happened. I live in Wisconsin about 2 hours North of the airport. I often wondered How people are doing today. The families of those that perished. God-Bless and Thanks for Sharing.

[@kirstenschafer1719]

In 1990 I was 4times passenger in einer DC 10...for me one of the most beautifull planes ever! But I know also about the crashes in 1972, 1974 and 1989 in Sioux City...all my love and prays are with the victims and their families! RIP 🥀

[@PaganWizard]

You made a slight mistake in the beginning of this video. You said 273 people aboard the plane were killed. There were only 271 people, including the crew aboard. The other 2 deaths were people who were on the ground. Other than that very minor mistake, a great video.

[@marcmcreynolds2827]

There are several things wrong in the video, in part because it was working from early incomplete information. To start with a minor point, it said that the DC-10-30/40 was longer than the Series 10, but all series were the same length until the MD-11 derivative much later. More importantly, the "investigation" part muddles the facts, especially in regard to the bolt failures. Those were caused by the crash rather than being the cause of the crash. It's not even true that the DC-10 was grounded because of the 191 crash. It remained flying, and pylon inspections were ordered for the whole fleet. When some of those found flange cracks even in aircraft which had been recently inspected on their regular schedule, that's when the type was grounded. This was in part because at the time investigators didn't know about the "forklift" connection between the two airlines where pylon flange cracks were found. In retrospect, the earlier inspections must have missed cracks, rather than that the cracks were developing very quickly. But given what they thought they knew at the time, grounding made sense.

[@kimmer6]

@@marcmcreynolds2827 Good info, thanks. The day after the crash I flew on 2 different DC-10's and a DC-9 to get to my assignment in Maracaibo, Venezuela. In July while the DC-10's were grounded it took me an extra 8 days of standby at the airport to fly to Anywhere, USA. I got lucky and was able to board an ancient well worn Braniff Boeing 707 to Miami. It was my first (and last) flight on a 707 and I treasured riding on a piece of history.. At the time I directed overhauls on GE gas turbines in power stations and refineries. We always had to place mechanical screw jacks under the casings to prevent distortion We were well aware that hydraulics could unpredictably leak down. We would sometimes delay removing turbine and compressor cases until they found suitable mechanical jacks. This caused hard feelings with the customer. In one refinery, I was told that every day without the gas turbine compressor train running cost the refinery $400,000 a day in lost production. It compressed hydrogen, the life blood heat transfer gas used in every oil refinery.

[@marcmcreynolds2827]

@@kimmer6 I guess I was getting off easy, working at an airframe manufacturer around the same time period and being told that until we figured out why an airline's plane was grounded with an overheating hydraulic system, it was costing us $100,000 a day. My last flight on a 707 was around 1984, Dayton to St Louis on the way back to SoCal from a Wright-Patterson meeting (imagine nowadays trying to make money doing 300-mile hops with a 4-engine 707). I don't remember much about the 707 though, because having missed my afternoon flight I somehow got bumped to first-class on this red-eye and with only a few passengers in first -- the others soon asleep or drunk -- the lone first-class flight attendant talked to me for most of the flight ( I *do* remember her though : ) I will mention something of actual aviation significance from the same trip, for all of you anecdote collectors out there. Taxiing out from the terminal later that night on my St Louis connection, from my window seat I saw an L-1011 partway through its takeoff roll. Everything looked normal, soon rotating to a typical liftoff AoA, and then... nothing. One thousand-one, one thousand-two, three, four... It seemed like the better part of a ten-count before it finally lifted off. Must have seemed like forever to the pilots -- "Should we lower the nose to gain speed, then hard up-elevator just before the end of the runway?" Those are the moments when a flight crew earns its pay. As for what might have happened: Last-second wind shift? Incorrect Vr? Wrong weight? I know of an instance where 10k# more cargo was loaded onto a DC-10 than what the pilots knew about. They caught it from excessive fuel burn LAX-Honolulu, and chewed out the cargo chief upon return.

[@scottvernon9413]

I was walking home from school that day... saw the whole thing..... Was on West Willow in Prospect Heights.. just lighting a cig.. looking south... when, kaboom!!!!

[@sandymoonstone855]

🍎 a cig ?

[@almostparadise123]

@@sandymoonstone855 cigarette

[@tiadaid]

American 191 was the first of three DC-10 crashes in 1979. It was followed by Western Airlines 2605 in Mexico City, then Air New Zealand 901 in Antarctica.

[@firstaid4film]

It was never the fault of the DC10 itself. It was the fault of Airline maintenance crews short cutting the proper process of reinstalling the wing engines. Freddy Laker was 100% correct with his assumption.

[@jpcoutelier5042]

Correct 👍

[@richardwarren1718]

That Ontario incident was American Airlines Flight 96. It had just taken off to the northeast out of Detroit Metro. That flight path took it over the downriver communities of Melvindale, Ecorse, River Rouge as well as part of Southwest Detroit. Just to the east, across the Detroit River is Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Above this area is where the door gave way. That was a flight we airplane spotters looked forward to seeing when runways 3L and 3R were used for departures. American flight 604, another DC-10 and a B.O.A.C. flight that used a VC-10 were also a joy to watch.🎥

[@vinny4411]

These people were murdered by American Airlines maintenance crews

[@gdobie1west988]

That's a very strong claim, that it was intentional. Do you have proof??

[@puffandpass1364]

+@@gdobie1west988 They were murdered on the Turkish DC-10 also. Back door agreement. Are you Stupid? The head maintenance guy in Oklahoma committed suicide rather than testify before Congress. Alaskan Air murdered 90 people 1996. Cutting corners. How come McConnell Douglas went out of busniness!

[@rnpazzo]

"Gentleman's agreement" is I believe what they called it. I call it DISGUSTING...

[@alhanes5803]

@@puffandpass1364 Why don't you look up what murder means.

[@mntns2014]

I'd say it was more like negligence. Nobody intended for this plane to crash & kill everyone on board.

[@jimdep333]

It wasn't a McDonnell design flaw it was an American airlines maintenance shortcut that damaged the pylon.

[@jocelynharris-fx8ho]

If you read the official reports from both the NTSB and FAA, they cited McDonnell Douglas for not wiring the plane with adequate backup and hydraulic systems. Both of which played major parts in the disaster. If BOTH pilots had had stick shaker warning systems , instead of only the Captain's side, they would have been alerted that stall was happening. A backup system to prevent the leading edge slats from retracting, would have prevented the asymmetrical wing condition. The reason the plane 's airworthiness directive was temporarily suspended and the plane grounded, was to force McDonnell Douglas to make those modifications to the jet. So yes, there WERE design flaws.

[@21stcenturysucks54]

Remember well. They found engine cracks in many Amercan carriers and foreign carriers including Mexicana, K.L.M. Varig, JAL, Lufthansa etc. All were immediately grounded in U. S. and no foreign DC-10,S were allowed to fly into U.S. airspace.

[@timmanboy1]

The lesson learned was to follow the manufacturer's maintenance instructions. Although not everybody got on-board with that idea. Everybody knows the alaska airlines MD80 crash where the airline didn't stick to the lube cycles for the flight controls

[@Vanadeo]

​@@timmanboy1ugh the Alaska md80.. it's heartbreaking to think that if the pilots just left the trim controls alone, they woulda made it back.. But they weren't to know 😢. Horrendous accident.

[@VicVictor-r5u]

In an emergency room waiting room I read a recent issue of Readers Digest that had an article about the DC-10 cargo door issue with the Paris accident having just happened. The next year I was to make a last minute flight out of San Diego and as I rushed to the stairs where impatient flight attendants were waving fir me to hurry, I stopped and knelt down and looked up andcback towards the tail. Satisfied I ran up and into the DC-10s cabin. A man asked what I was doing and I said, "Making sure that damn hatch is closed!" Everyone laughed. I always was late fir flights but had never missed one. When I missed this one I gambled back to the ticket counter thinking, "I didn't want to get back to Los Angeles anyway and if there wasn't another DC-10 I would be happy for one more night in Chicago. When the airport went crazy I thought, "It's that damn hatch again,". I did not leave on a next flight. I spent one more night in Chicago but not at a nightclub. I wanted another night with my grateful grandmother.

[@jimdep333]

Cargo doors were an issue. Don't know why they opened out versus inside /plug type door? Space issue likely.

[@thomashumphrey4953]

The Word 'Expert(s)' Needs to be Used Way Less, because if Their Were any, The Plane Wouldn't have Crashed... Just Saying!!

[@ad_2211]

I flew on the DC10 just once in my whole life, I threw a big celebration 🎉 after landing safely.

[@valeriekoch9128]

My sister and I were in grade school (Fairview School, Mount Prospect) 6 miles north of O'Hare, my sister was in gym class and saw the cloud of black smoke, I was the north side of building so I didn't see anything

[@rc70ys]

I would NEVER fly any American Airline, United or any other all have terrible accident history.

[@vvsre760]

rc70ys it’s not there fault, it’s the manufacturer fault, I personally would never ride a MD plane ever.

[@carolliz4278]

That just is not true.

[@robertyoung3992]

PanAm and Eastern no longer exist US Airways had a controlled ditching that cost zero lives Cactus 1549

[@johannesbols57]

Why wasn't the 747 grounded after the fuel tank explosion on TWA 800?

[@jmk0822]

I think it might have been but it was also a freak accident not related to bad maintenance like this accident was

[@mrp3263]

It wasn't a fuel tank explosion

[@yourlocalyoutubecommenter]

Firstly, it wasn't an issue with the 747 Second, TWA Flight 800 was far more likely shot down in a tragic accident by the US Navy, and FAA would have likely known this.

[@barbarakauppi9915]

Such a terrible, preventable disaster. On another note regarding air travel, the shots beginning at 4:13 show how incredible superior travel comfort and respectably humane space was just a generation or two ago. Wow.. Now you must pay a fortune to those sadistic parasites for what is nothing short of open abuse..

[@jimholmes2555]

Is that Patrick Macnee narrating ?

[@dre9813]

I never really like the DC10 aircraft, with all the negatives media surrounding it. But actually I think its a beautiful plane.

[@MeaHeaR]

Amerikán Aiř-Linês wâz átt Fâúĺt Too foř hâvińģ an jnkorrêķť procéduré 4ôúř Ênģúnn Ôúťs

[@LOLmusics]

that last DC-10 that took off was heavy in the ass!

[@TECHLOVER_91]

These people paid money to die in a fiery crash i can't imagine the fear they felt in their last moments 😢😣💔💔 Planes are so beautiful yet so scary and deadly

[@michaelbechtel4944]

That's why I don't fly anymore, I know its safer today but I still don't them

[@peterdockrill9653]

Watched a lot of these videos , besides the cargo door on the earlier DCs,the aeroplanes are sound ,accidents are caused mainly by pilot error, atc error or poor maintenance.

[@thomashumphrey4953]

Good Sense Would Tell You No 'Expert(s)' Exist-Its Just A Way of Some People Trying to Calm The Fears of The General Public.

[@LOLmusics]

L-1011 Sighting @ 2:30!!!

[@FallenAngel53]

Laker was 100% correct.

[@jimarney5714]

I had a dream it crashed 2 weeks before it happened. I refueled that DC-10 when it originated in Indy to Chicago that day. I wanted to say something but thought American operations would think I was crazy.

[@jocelynharris-fx8ho]

According to another documentary, a flight attendant who flew on the plane the day before the crash and was sitting in the jump seat over the left wing, reported that the engine was shaking, like it was experiencing turbulence but the rest of the plane wasn't shaking, This was obviously a sign that the pylon was getting weaker. She reported it to the airline and if they had any sense and concern, they should have pulled the plane out of service immediately and did an investigation. Also, one of the mechanics reported to his supervisor 24 times, that the procedure that they were using, was causing damage. The supervisor ignored him and when the whistleblower was due to testify after the crash, the airline tried to convince him to lie and he wouldn't do it, so they fired him. The major part of the blame belongs on the shoulders of American Airlines and the people in charge. They had warnings and chose to ignore them. McDonnell Douglas had no business putting a plane in service with no back-up systems. They were so desperate to get the Dc-10 into service, that they too' cut corners. It's a shame when a company is so concerned about money, that they forget about the safety of the people who use their products.

[@cubzrulz]

This would have been a much bigger deal of it happened in new york. This was the deadliest aviation accident and yet no one remembers.

[@Bubs1214]

Regardless of what they did to the plane the bottom line is that this plane was a billion dollar state of the art back in the day disaster waiting to happen. THIS crash was caused by those that serviced the plane in direct violation of procedures that WERE prescribed by MD. However MD KNEW about the causes of the first two major accidents involving the cargo door design THEY KNEW before hand that the door was prone to opening in the air due to a faulty locking mechanism. IT was PROVEN in trial test at the MD facility YET they because of the all mighty dollar decided NOT to change the design. THIS crash in Chicago was caused by what AMERICAN AIRLINES KNEW about how the mechanics were cutting corners on the way the engine was removed and replaced after servicing it. NO surprises here just boils down to what has plagued man since its inception and that is MONEY. Dollars have always been placed ahead of safety in aviation as they gamble that its " Cost of doing business" when they way the risk factor over the amount of time effort and MONEY that is needed to make it air worthy. TOMBSTONE TECHNOLOGY IS AVIATIONS GREATEST ENEMY. This was SUCH an avoidable accident as were the others had someone had the balls to stand up and say the hell with the money what if your family had to ride in the DC-10???

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

@jack torrence They were factors, but not the only ones - procedures that brought the aircraft close to stall speed at low altitudes, and AA's maintenance procedures were factors too (with AA's maintenance shortcuts being a HUGE one).

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

@jack torrence " Engines are designed to fall off save the wing, there are several instances where engines fall off and the plane lands." But not in the way it happened on 191, which severed the hydraulic lines, and WAS ultimately traced back to metal fatigue caused by the maintenance shortcuts. (And all I said was that these factors I mentioned were pieces in the puzzle. )

[@marcmcreynolds2827]

​@jack torrence For some reason people never compare the Chicago DC-10 crash to the PSA 727 which crashed on approach into San Diego. Both aircraft suffered a similar amount of leading edge damage, resulting in compromised hydraulic systems. That 727 quickly dropped from the sky, even though it had substantial speed/altitude to work with and was descending with all engines operating. The Chicago DC-10, even though lifting off and with thrust from only two engines, was still flyable if the pilots hadn't stalled it due in part to lack of information (American decided not to buy the offered "stick shaker on both control columns").

[@alhanes5803]

@@DanknDerpyGamer The engines have shear pins that allow them to fall away under the wing. A/A breaking the rear bulkhead screwed the pooch.

[@alhanes5803]

@@marcmcreynolds2827 The PSA 727lost about 30 % of the right outboard wing.

[@christainmarks106]

The 737Max before the 737Max

[@fairfaxcat1312]

If you’re scheduled to fly over that trailer park can you find out whether they are planning to put you on a DC 10? Are you able to find out which brand and model they are planning to put you on? Because O’Hare is such a busy airport with so many flights going to a major place like Los Angeles it looks like you might be able to get them to put you on a particular brand or model. I would not choose the DC 10 if there were other planes going.

[@ExperimentIV]

Fairfaxcat well first you’re gonna wanna check what year your flight is booked for, considering that the DC-10 stopped flying non-cargo flights in 2014.

[@TheNapalmFTW]

Lol

[@jakesnussbuster3565]

Bruh

[@Utubin]

@@ExperimentIV 🤣🤣🤣👍

[@aracelitan557]

ZEBRAAIR::#ZTNDNUN::::

[@aracelitan557]

AIRCANADA::#MDNUI2UNSTNUN::::