American Airlines Flight 191

On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191 lifted off from Chicago's O'Hare Airport only to have its left engine tear completely free from the wing seconds later. In just 31 terrifying seconds, the crippled McDonnell Douglas DC-10 rolled onto its side and plunged to earth, killing all 271 people onboard and 2 more on the ground. Discover how an airline's time-saving maintenance shortcut led to a catastrophic structural failure that changed aviation maintenance practices forever. This harrowing examination of America's deadliest air disaster reveals how a complex chain of design vulnerabilities, maintenance errors, and regulatory oversights culminated in tragedy and permanently altered the public's perception of what was once considered one of the most advanced passenger jets in the world.

Sources:

• "What Caused The Crash Of American Airlines Flight 191?" - Simple Flying, by Jake Hardiman & Luke Bodell, updated February 8, 2024
• "Aircraft Accident Report: American Airlines, Inc., DC-10-10, N110AA, Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, May 25, 1979" - National Transportation Safety Board, Report Number AAR-79-17
• "American Airlines Flight 191" - Wikipedia article documenting the accident, investigation findings, and aftermath
• "Seconds From Disaster: Chicago Plane Crash" - National Geographic documentary, Season 1, Episode 5
• "Air Disaster: Catastrophe at O'Hare" - Smithsonian Channel documentary examining the crash and investigation
• "Breaking Point" - MSNBC Why Planes Crash series, Season 1, Episode 2
• "Fatal Force: The Crash of American Airlines Flight 191" - FAA Lessons Learned document analyzing maintenance failures

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Credits:

Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.