Aviation Accidents / This Day in History
5thmSpionhsored ·This Day in History... 32 years ago
Wednesday, 19th of July, 1989
- United States of America
United Airlines Flight 232, a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Denver-Stapleton International Airport, CO (DEN/KDEN), to Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, with a stopover at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD/KORD), operated with a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registered N1819U, was operating the Denver-O'Hare leg when it experienced a catastrophic failure of its tail-mounted engine, one hour and seven minutes after takeoff at 37,000 feet. Flight 232 subsequently crash landed at Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX/KSUX), Iowa, USA.
The aircraft was completely destroyed. One crew member and 110 passengers perished. The remaining ten crew members and 175 passengers survived. Surviving occupants Injures were as the following: 47 serious, 125 minor injuries, and 13 uninjured. (111 fatalities, 185 survivors)
The crash of Flight 232 is the 12th deadliest aviation accident on US soil. It is also the fifth worst accident involving the DC-10. I consider flight 232 as one of the best handled air emergencies in aviation history (If not the best).
- Crew :
(1) Captain Alfred Clair Haynes, 57, was hired by United Airlines in 1956. He had 29,967 hours of total flight time with United Airlines, of which 7,190 were in the DC-10.
(2) First Officer William Roy Records, 48, was hired by National Airlines in 1969. He subsequently worked for Pan American World Airways. He estimated that he had approximately 20,000 hours of total flight time. He had 665 hours as a DC-10 first officer.
(3) Second Officer Dudley Joseph Dvorak, 51, was hired by United Airlines in 1986. He estimated that he had approximately 15,000 hours of total flying time. He had 1,900 hours as a second officer in the Boeing 727 and 33 hours as a second officer in the DC-10.
(4) Training Check Airman Captain Dennis Edward Fitch, 46, was hired by United Airlines in 1968. He estimated that, prior to working for United, he had accrued at least 1,400 hours of flight time with the Air National Guard, with a total flight time of approximately 23,000 hours. His total DC-10 time with United was 3,079 hours, of which 2,000 hours were accrued as a second officer, 1,000 hours as a first officer, and 79 hours as a captain. He had learned of the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123, caused by a catastrophic loss of hydraulic control, and had wondered if it was possible to control an aircraft using throttles only. He had practiced under similar conditions on a simulator.
