Posted on Jun 3, 2017
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A terrible tragedy.
Almost 300 people are killed on this day in 1979 when an American Airlines flight crashes and explodes after losing one engine just after takeoff.
It was the beginning of Memorial Day weekend in 1979 when 277 passengers filled Flight 191 from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport bound for Los Angeles. The DC-10 jet took off normally but after rising to only 400 feet, stalled and then rolled to the left. The plane quickly plunged, crashing into Ravenswood Airport, which had been abandoned and was no longer in use.
The plane, loaded with fuel, exploded on impact, killing all 277 people on board instantly. The heat from the fire was so intense that firefighters could not approach the crash for close to an hour. The crash also caused a fire at a nearby mobile-home park and killed two bystanders on the ground. A Standard Oil gas storage facility was also nearly hit.
Following this crash, all DC-10s in the United States were impounded and grounded by judicial order because there was no immediate determination as to the cause of the crash and it was feared that it could have been caused by a problem common to the jet type. Ultimately, it was found that the left pylon, which supported the turbofan engine, came loose and took out the hydraulic lines. The left wing slats then retracted and the plane could not lift off properly. The American Airlines maintenance crew was found to be at fault–they had failed to follow the proper procedures when removing the engine and pylon during repairs and maintenance.
Almost 300 people are killed on this day in 1979 when an American Airlines flight crashes and explodes after losing one engine just after takeoff.
It was the beginning of Memorial Day weekend in 1979 when 277 passengers filled Flight 191 from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport bound for Los Angeles. The DC-10 jet took off normally but after rising to only 400 feet, stalled and then rolled to the left. The plane quickly plunged, crashing into Ravenswood Airport, which had been abandoned and was no longer in use.
The plane, loaded with fuel, exploded on impact, killing all 277 people on board instantly. The heat from the fire was so intense that firefighters could not approach the crash for close to an hour. The crash also caused a fire at a nearby mobile-home park and killed two bystanders on the ground. A Standard Oil gas storage facility was also nearly hit.
Following this crash, all DC-10s in the United States were impounded and grounded by judicial order because there was no immediate determination as to the cause of the crash and it was feared that it could have been caused by a problem common to the jet type. Ultimately, it was found that the left pylon, which supported the turbofan engine, came loose and took out the hydraulic lines. The left wing slats then retracted and the plane could not lift off properly. The American Airlines maintenance crew was found to be at fault–they had failed to follow the proper procedures when removing the engine and pylon during repairs and maintenance.
DC-10 crashes, killing all aboard - May 25, 1979 - HISTORY.com
Posted from history.comPosted in these groups: 
Natural Disaster
Natural Disaster
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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Yes it took a shortcut instead of removing the engine first and then the pylon they thought they could remove it as a unit but then they stress the bolts out and later caused the engine to rip itself off on Full Throttle take off. My dad was a security guard working for McDonnell Douglas a few years later and he told me that an employee was terminated because they had an upside-down airplane in the back of his car on the sill panel with a speakers would be and some employees notified security and management in the sky was terminated. This was at the Long Beach McDonnell Douglas plant that built dc-10s back in the day.
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Thanks for reminding us TSgt Joe C. that on May 25, 1979 almost 300 people are killed on this day in 1979 when an American Airlines flight crashes and explodes after losing one engine just after takeoff from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport bound for Los Angeles.
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