Crash Site of American Airlines Flight 191

USA / Illinois / Des Plaines /
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On May 25th, 1979 American Airlines Flight 191 crashed at this location shortly after takeoff from Chicago O'Hare International Airport, killing all 271 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft as well as two people on the ground.

Operating as Flight 191 from Chicago to Los Angeles International Airport, Douglas DC-10-10 N110AA pushed back from Gate K5 at 1450hrs and taxied without incident to Runway 32R where the flight was cleared for takeoff. Starting its takeoff roll at 1502hrs, the DC-10 was approximately halfway down the runway and nearing its V1 speed when a series of bolts attaching the #1 Engine and pylon to the left wing snapped, allowing the fully-powered engine to completely detach from the aircraft and roll upwards over the left wing and onto the runway. Warning lights and indicators in the cockpit alerted the flight crew to the loss of power in the #1 Engine but likely did not give any indication that the engine had in fact fallen off the aircraft or had taken a three foot piece of the left wings leading edge with it.

In accordance with standard procedure the crew continued their takeoff and made the necessary preparations for two-engine flight, but as the DC-10 climbed off the runway and the pilot in command began to reduce speed, the steady loss of hydraulic pressure to leading edge slats on the left wing caused the outermost set to retract under the air load. Unaware the left wing was losing surface area and increasing its stall speed, the flight crew continued to slow down the aircraft until the entire left wing entered a full aerodynamic stall at 159 knots. With no lift being provided by the engineless left wing, the lift and thrust provided by the right wing and engine immediately rolled the DC-10 into an unrecoverable 112-degree banking dive to the left which sent the aircraft plummeting from approximately 400ft in altitude into the ground at this location.

Investigations carried out by the NTSB into the crash of Flight 191 would later find that the lack of a locking mechanism on the aircrafts’ leading edge slats to keep them deployed in the event of hydraulic failure contributed heavily to the crash, as the DC-10 would likely have been able to safely return to the airport on two engines had it not experienced a full stall on its left wing. Furthermore, the investigation found that improper maintenance procedures by American Airlines staff had led to damage of the attachment bolts holding the #1 engine to the wing, leading to its separation from the aircraft and the resultant damage to the wing and its hydraulic systems.

The crash of American Airlines Flight 191 remains the deadliest single-aircraft accident in US history, and after 30 years of attempts to memorialize the disaster at the crash site a group of schoolchildren from Decatur Classical School succeeded in raising funding and obtaining a passenger list from American Airlines in 2009. Today, a 2ft concave wall with interlocking bricks displaying the names of the crash victims marks the crash site and was formally dedicated in a ceremony on October 15, 2011.

www.airdisaster.com/investigations/aacrash.shtml
libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-a...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_191
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   42°0'36"N   87°55'44"W

Comments

  • Worst air disaster in United States history, save for 9-11
  • The worst SINGLE aircraft disaster to date.
  • 911 attacks were just that, an attack not a air accident. American 191 is the single worst airplane accident to date for sure, second is American 587 that crash in queens a couple months after 911. Worst single crash is the JAL 747 that crash into the side of a mountain, and the worst airplane accident the world to date is when KLM and PanAm 747's collided on a runway in Tenerife in 1977.
  • The crash site is also very very very haunted with tons of reports of "ghost" sightings following the crash. There was reports of floating lights in the field at night months after the crash, even recently people have seen normal looking people ruuning near the site but wearing buisness suites from the 70's and smoldering asking despertly for a pay phone to call for help because of a crash. There was even a report inside O'Hare by the pay phone near the gate which 191 pushed off from, a man standing there wearing a 70's suite talking on the phone then disapearing into thin air. months after the crash there was reports of the ALL the dogs in the trailer park near the crash site barking violently through all hours of the night and people reported banging on there windows and screaming all night long. MANY MANY MANY of the original people that lived in that trailer park don't live there anymore because of this. CREEPY
  • Ghostly tales soon began to spring up about the site. According to Des Plaines police officers, motorists began reporting odd sights within a few months of the crash. They called in about seeing odd, bobbing white lights in the field where the aircraft had gone down. First thought to be flashlights that were carried by ghoulish souvenir hunters, officers responded to the reports to find the field was silent and deserted. No one was ever found, despite patrols arriving on the scene almost moments after receiving a report. More unnerving though were the accounts that came from the residents of the nearby mobile home, which was adjacent to the crash site. Many of these reports came within hours of the crash, when residents claimed to hear knocking and rapping sounds at their doors and windows. Those who responded, including a number of retirees and off-duty police and firefighters, opened their doors to find no one was there. Dogs in the trailer park would bark endlessly at the empty field where the plane had gone down. Their masters could find no reason for their erratic behavior. This continued for weeks and months and even escalated to the point that doorknobs were being turned and rattled, footsteps were heard approaching the trailers, clanging on the metal stairs, and on some occasions, actual figures were confronted. According to some reports, a few residents opened their doors to find a worried figure who stated that he "had to get his luggage" or "had to make a connection" standing on their porch. The figure then turned and vanished into the darkness. The tragedy, and the strange events that followed, caused many of the residents to move out of the park but when new arrivals took their place, they too began to report the weird happenings. A fairly recent sighting was described by a man who was walking his dog one night near the area where Flight 191 went down. He was approached by a young man who explained that he needed to make an emergency telephone call. The man with his dog looked at this person curiously for he seemed to reek of gasoline and also appeared to be smoldering. At first, he just assumed the man had been running on this chilly night and steam was coming from his clothing, but when he turned away to point out a nearby phone and then turned back again --- the man had vanished! The man with the dog had heard stories from other local residents about moans and weird cries emanating from the 1979 crash site but he never believed them until now. He was now convinced that he had encountered one of the restless passengers from Flight 191 for himself! And he’s likely not the only one, for the stories of weird knockings, inexplicable sounds and even apparitions continue to this day. One long-standing incident, which is often repeated, comes from the terminal at O’Hare itself. According to travelers, many have purported to see a man making a telephone call from a booth that is located close to the departure gate that was used by Flight 191. Those who have seen him say that is quite normal-looking, except for the fact that his business attire seems oddly out of date. He allegedly steps away from the telephone booth, manages a few steps and then vanishes into thin air. Is he one of the doomed passengers from Flight 191 --- or another phantom altogether?
  • 30 years ago today..... god rest their souls.
  • " after 30 years of attempts to memorialize the disaster at the crash site a group of schoolchildren from Decatur Classical School succeeded in raising funding and obtaining a passenger list from American Airlines in 2009." American Airlines ( fined only $500,000 for their cost cutting, accident causing maintenance procedures, but rewarded with 125 million in insurance ) certainly had the money to pay for this memorial which they may have opposed. Disgraceful conduct.
  • I'm particularly interested in the haunting aspect, but I think I've read just about ALL the websites pertaining to this. Wish there was a book about it.
  • I'm planning to go around the beginning of August 2015 to Chicago and I already told the wifey that we had to stop at that location to take pictures. During the last 2 Ghost tours we have been, she has been able to get really good pictures and she might be lucky when we get there (crossing my fingers). Is that place dangerous at o'dark 30? Any safety precautions we should take? Thanks for the help.
  • As a man who lost his parents on A.A. flight 191, I can write a book about how loved ones of the victims were treated. Let me tell you from first hand experience, it was deplorable. To think that it took at least 25 years for us to even find out the exact spot where the plane crashed I shocking. Moreover, it was the daughters of 2 other victims who had to fight to arrange the entire thing. Talk about hauntings, here it is almost 36 years later and so many of us are still suffering and HAUNTED by the tragedy and the lack of respect shown to us. Shame on American Airlines and the leaders of our community, UGH!
  • It's horrible to hear that Gary, I wonder why that even happened?I can say that all the victims died because of the direct failures' of American Airlines maintenance/mechanics and their supervisors!! I was 10 yrs old at the time and my mom worked at o'hare and I still remember how my mom felt. I can't even imagine how you and many others felt and how you still feel. As an avid aviator I can personally tell you that there was nothing and nobody that could have helped them on that day. But that crash should have NEVER of happened. Hopefully the surviving family/relatives were compensated financially for American Airlines neglectful and cost cutting procedures? When the repair crew didn't follow the proper procedure for the removal of the engine, they assumed the responsibility of the outcome of flight 191 ! If the proper procedure and recommendation from McDonald Douglas for engine removal was followed, the crash would have never of happened. I hope one day you will find peace in this matter.
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This article was last modified 7 years ago