Flight with disabled controls: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 05:09, 19 January 2014

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*[[American Airlines Flight 96]], a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]], on 12 June 1972. The failure of the rear cargo door caused an [[explosive decompression]], which in turn caused the rear main cabin floor to collapse and severed flight controls. The pilots had only limited [[aileron]]s and [[Elevator (aircraft)|elevator]]s; the rudder was jammed. The number two engine also ran down to idle at the time of decompression. The aircraft landed safely at [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport|Detroit-Metropolitan Airport]].<ref>Gero 1997, p. 125.</ref>

*[[Japan Airlines 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 had also ruptured all four hydrualichydraulic 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>

*[[Air Transat Flight 961]], an [[Airbus A310]], on 6 March 2005, catastrophic structural failure: the rudder detached from the aircraft with a loud bang. The pilots regained enough control to land the aircraft safely.<ref>[http://www.bst.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2005/a05f0047/a05f0047.pdf Flight 961 - Official accident report] www.bst.gc.ca Retrieved: 1 June 2010</ref>