Flight with disabled controls: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:49, 29 December 2024

Revision as of 17:48, 31 December 2024

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*[[American Airlines Flight 191]], a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]], on 25 May 1979. The failure of the #1 engine mounting pylon and subsequent separation of the engine from the aircraft resulted in severed hydraulic lines and electrical system damage. The left wing [[Leading-edge slat|slats]] retracted due to the loss of hydraulic pressure and aerodynamic forces, while the right wing slats remained extended. The damaged electrical system prevented the slat retract indicators and [[stick-shaker]] on the [[yoke]] from functioning, so the crew was not alerted to the slat retraction nor impending stall. All 271 on board were killed, as well as two on the ground at [[O'Hare International Airport]] in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]].

*[[Japan AirlinesAir Lines Flight 123]], a [[Boeing 747]], on 12 August 1985. A faulty repair years earlier had weakened the aircraft's rear pressure bulkhead, which failed in flight. The [[vertical stabilizer]] and much of the aircraft's [[empennage]] was blown off during the decompression. The decompression also ruptured all four hydraulic lines which controlled the aircraft's mechanical flight controls. The pilots were able to continue flying the aircraft with very limited control, but after 32 minutes the aircraft crashed into a mountain, killing 520 of the 524 people aboard in the deadliest single aircraft disaster in history.<ref>Gero 1997, p. 189.</ref>

*[[American Airlines Flight 587]], [[Airbus A300]], November 12, 2001. This was the second-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history, with 251 passengers and 9 crew members killed, as well as five people on the ground. According to the NTSB, the aggressive use of the rudder controls by the first officer stressed the composite vertical stabilizer until it separated from the aircraft. The complete loss of the vertical stabilizer meant the loss of all rudder control. As the pilots struggled to control the aircraft, it entered a [[Flat spin (aviation)|flat spin]]. The resultant forces caused the engines to separate from the aircraft, and it slammed into the ground 14 seconds later.