Summary
Highlights
On a clear spring day, a plane takes off from Chicago Airport. As the wheels leave the runway, it loses power from one of its engines, rolls to the left, and seconds later, hits the ground, disintegrating into a trailer park. Two hundred seventy-three people are dead, and a team of investigators must discover what went wrong in America's most catastrophic air accident.
On May 25, 1979, O'Hare International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, is operating normally. Captain Walter Lux, an experienced pilot with over 22,000 flying hours, agrees to take Flight 191 to Los Angeles. Passengers, including Deborah and Doreen, boarding for a Hawaiian holiday, are excited. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10, an old but recently serviced aircraft, is almost full for the holiday weekend. At 3:01 P.M., the plane begins its takeoff roll. Suddenly, co-pilot Dillard notices a loss of power from engine one on the left wing. Despite the loss of an engine, the DC-10 can fly with two, and Dillard, following emergency procedures, slows the plane to its minimum climbing speed. However, just 20 seconds after leaving the ground, the plane unexpectedly rolls to the left and crashes into a trailer park.
American Airlines flight 191 crashes 31 seconds after takeoff, killing 271 people on board and two on the ground. First responders, like paramedic John Evey, arrive to a scene of absolute devastation. Ray DeVito, whose girlfriend was on board, races to the crash site, only to realize the hopelessness of the situation. The news spreads, and Michael Lux, Captain Walter Lux's son, initially relieved, soon learns his father was the pilot. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) dispatches a team of 15 experts, including senior metallurgist Michael Marks, to investigate. Their priority is to find the black boxes, but the task is enormous, with evidence scattered over a square kilometer. They find the remains of engine one halfway down the runway, confirming it detached during takeoff. Eyewitness accounts suggest the engine swung forward, then up and over the wing, pointing towards structural failure.
The NTSB team continues to search for the black boxes and analyze wreckage. They discover a fractured bolt on the pylon assembly, which appears to be the cause of the engine detaching. NTSB Deputy Chairman Woody Driver holds a press conference, announcing the fractured bolt as the probable cause. However, Michael Marks, a metallurgist, immediately recognizes that the bolt's damage was a result of the crash, not its cause. He believes the NTSB is making a premature judgment and that the bolt is not the 'smoking gun.'
Michael Marks' investigation of other pylon assembly parts uncovers damage to a flange that predates the crash. This leads the team to examine Flight 191's service history, discovering it underwent maintenance eight weeks prior. The American Airlines maintenance facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is found to be using a non-standard procedure for removing engines and pylons, lifting them as a single unit with a forklift. This shortcut, while saving time, has the potential to cause damage if not executed perfectly. During 191's maintenance, the pylon jammed, suggesting potential damage to the flange. Marks realizes the flange was bent when the bolt was removed during maintenance, confirming the cause of the engine detachment.
Despite the engine detachment, DC-10s are designed to fly with two engines. The NTSB team finds a piece of the left wing on the runway, revealing that the engine ripped off part of the leading edge, including the hydraulic controls for the slats. This caused the outboard slats to retract, reducing lift on the left wing and causing the plane to roll left. Furthermore, the electrical circuit powering both the voice recorder and the slat warning system was cut off when the engine detached, leaving the pilots unaware of the slat's position. The flight data recorder shows that co-pilot Dillard followed emergency procedures by reducing speed to V2, the minimum climbing speed. However, simulator tests reveal that reducing speed with retracted slats is the worst possible action, leading to a stall. This shocking revelation exonerates Captain Lux and co-pilot Dillard, as their training manual was flawed.
The investigation uncovers another crucial detail: the stall warning system. While a dual warning (stick shaker and a light) should have alerted the pilots, the stick shaker on Captain Lux's side was not working due to the severed electrical supply. The backup power switch for the stick shaker was inaccessible during takeoff. These combined factors – a flawed maintenance procedure, a damaged wing, compromised electrical systems, and incorrect emergency training – created a catastrophic chain of events. The NTSB recommends fundamental improvements in aviation, including changes in maintenance procedures, DC-10 redesigns, and revised pilot training. The US government fines American Airlines for improper maintenance, and McDonnell Douglas's shares plummet, eventually leading to its acquisition by Boeing. The tragedy of Flight 191 remains America's worst single-plane accident, a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of overlooked details and systemic flaws.