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20th Anniversary of AA191 at ORD
Question:
It was pointed out to me today, that May 25 is the 20th anniversary of the demise of AA flight 191, which was a DC-10-30 leaving ORD for LAX with 279 passengers on board. This disaster led to the grounding of 138 DC-10s so that the engine pylons (?) could be repaired or redesigned? Was anyone on the rta board in Chicago at the time? =T. "Go ahead… send me flaming email… I’ll just post it here for EVERYONE to enjoy."
Response:
Who is the r.t.a. poster that e-mailed me at home (Greg??) that said that he was in Chicago at the time, driving to the airport, and saw the jet go down. Maryanne.
Response:
>Who is the r.t.a. poster that e-mailed me > at home (Greg??) that said that he was > in Chicago at the time, driving to the > airport, and saw the jet go down. >Maryanne.
Hey Gang! No, Maryanne, I’m not who e-mailed you, but I remember that distinctly–like yesterday! I heard on the radio this morning (WLS 780AM) that today was the anniversary. It’s one of those things I’ll never forget, like the JFK or Rabin killings, the moon landing, or the fall of the Berlin wall… I had recently moved to the city, fresh out of college downstate, and had landed a job as a desk clerk at the Holiday Inn City Centre (300 E Ohio, just east of Michigan Avenue). It was a lovely spring day, it was very slow, and we were making plans to go out later that night. Then we heard the news–talk about casting a pall on a great mood…. A bit later a guy checked in, _very_ visibly distraught—he had just come from ORD and had seen 191 go down (don’t remember if he saw this from the air or taxiing). We took good care to get him checked in, upgraded him, and I called the lobby bar and said "Listen, I’m sending this gentleman over for a few pops–please take care of him, give him what he wants, and it’ll be on the house…". One thing I remember about that crash–there was not a whole lot left of any aircraft or human remains, IIRC. It also plowed into a neighboring trailer park and killed some folks there. The press was all over the place, and I remember the pix of the crash scene, with all those little stakes with yellow cloth "flags" marking body parts–except they must have been pretty miniscule remains. I don’t know if eventually they were able to account for everybody on the pax manifest (forensically) or not…..God….. We should give Anna Warman a honk and get her over here to discuss this…. greg
Response:
> It was pointed out to me today, that May 25 is the 20th anniversary of > the demise of AA flight 191, which was a DC-10-30 leaving ORD for LAX > with 279 passengers on board. This disaster led to the grounding of 138 > DC-10s so that the engine pylons (?) could be repaired or redesigned? > Was anyone on the rta board in Chicago at the time? > =T. > "Go ahead… send me flaming email… I’ll just post it here for > EVERYONE to enjoy."
Yes, I was living about 8-9 miles from the airport at the time. I don’t recall any loud sounds at the time, but in my defense I was 6 at the time… Mike Nash
Response:
> It was pointed out to me today, that May 25 is the 20th anniversary of > the demise of AA flight 191, which was a DC-10-30 leaving ORD for LAX > with 279 passengers on board. This disaster led to the grounding of 138 > DC-10s so that the engine pylons (?) could be repaired or redesigned? > Was anyone on the rta board in Chicago at the time?
I was a few miles away from the accident when it happened and remember seeing smoke .. but I was also quite young when it happened. Steve —Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.—
Response:
>It was pointed out to me today, that May 25 is the 20th anniversary of >the demise of AA flight 191, which was a DC-10-30…
It was N110AA, a DC-10-10, the 22nd DC-10 built, delivered in 1972. AA got its first -30 in 1981.
Response:
>No, Maryanne, I’m not who e-mailed you, but I remember that >distinctly–like yesterday!
I lived in Gary, IN, at the time, and yeah, it was *big* news all weekend (it happened on Mem day Friday). I’ll never forget it, either. >I heard on the radio this morning (WLS 780AM) that today was the anniversary.
Has WBBM (Newsradio ‘78) been sold? >It also plowed into a neighboring trailer park and killed some folks there.
I thought it was a series of businesses (auto repair shop comes to mind). -Kenny — Kenneth R. Crudup, Unix Software Consultant, Scott County Consulting Home1: 8051 Newell St. #914 Silver Spring, MD 20910-0914 (301) 562-1922 Home2: 5355 Farwell Pl. #242 Fremont, CA 94536-7222 (510) 794-8040 Work : 3055 Orchard Dr. San Jose’, CA 95134-2017 (408) 456-7845
Response:
>Has WBBM (Newsradio ‘78) been sold?
No it hasn’t–my mistake–I meant WLS AM _890_ greg
Response:
I flew on AA from SNA-LAX-ORD-DCA that day, and remember it vividly. LAX-ORD was on a D10 (different tail number). The accident happened about 30 minutes after we departed ORD. Thank goodness it worked out that way- as an avid airliner watcher there’s a good possibility I would have seen it…. Anyway, I remember about midway through the ORD-DCA flight (on a 72S) an FA came out of the flight deck in tears. Within a few minutes, most of the cabin crew was either in tears or trying to choke back their emotions. All the passengers knew something was going on, but the cabin crew proceeded in a very professional manner given the circumstances. When we got to DCA, we heard someone in baggage claim talking about a plane crashing after it lost an engine. We figured they were talking about a light plane, or maybe a commuter. When we flicked on the TV in the hotel room we found out. Ken Ishiguro – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->It was pointed out to me today, that May 25 is the 20th anniversary of >the demise of AA flight 191, which was a DC-10-30… > It was N110AA, a DC-10-10, the 22nd DC-10 built, delivered in 1972. > AA got its first -30 in 1981.
Response:
>>It was pointed out to me today, that May 25 is the 20th anniversary of >the demise of AA flight 191, which was a DC-10-30…
I was on a flight from DCA to CVG that day. We were held at the end of the runway in DCA for over an hour due to ATC holds. I imagine traffic to Chicago was held up, which backed up other traffic all over the Midwest after the crash. We weren’t given any explanation by the airline crew and learned about the accident after we arrived in CVG.
Response:
I have a different point of view than most. I started working at McDonnell Douglas in April, 1979, in Long Beach, CA. I distinctly remember being at work and walking into an area where everyone was glued to the TV, watching the grisly details. Seeing as how I had just left the Chicago area (born and raised in the Chicago area), and how the plane was bound for LAX, where I was living, and also how I had taken an American DC-10 to the interview just a short time before (perhaps the same plane, who knows), it all blended together. McDonnell Douglas only flew people in for interviews on MD aircraft, at that time anyway. Does anyone remember that two other airlines, besides American, were also fined big bucks for the shaky maintenance practice of removing the pylon and/or engine with a forklift? One, I believe, was Braniff (sp?), but what was the other airline? Pete – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> It was pointed out to me today, that May 25 is the 20th anniversary of > the demise of AA flight 191, which was a DC-10-30 leaving ORD for LAX > with 279 passengers on board. This disaster led to the grounding of 138 > DC-10s so that the engine pylons (?) could be repaired or redesigned? > Was anyone on the rta board in Chicago at the time?
Response:
Check MSNBC Travel Page for article on the crash
Response:
(snip) > Does anyone remember that two other airlines, besides American, were > also fined big bucks for the shaky maintenance practice of removing the > pylon and/or engine with a forklift? One, I believe, was Braniff (sp?), > but > what was the other airline? > Pete
Braniff never operated DC-10s, so it was not them. I recall only one other airline that followed the same practice at the time: Continental. Mike Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
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A few days after the Chicago accident, all DC-10s worldwide were grounded while the reason for the engine separation was investigated and the pylons checked for cracks. I had been planning to fly JFK-LGW on the Laker Skytrain which used DC-10s. I drove down to New York to a party and took my documents for England with me. Sunday morning (probably July 11, 1979), I phoned airlines and BA offered me a one way to Prestwick (B707, extra section for Glasgow Fair) for about $180. This gave me three very pleasant and unexpected days sailing on the Clyde river steamers. By the end of my trip, the DC-10s and Laker were flying again and I flew LGW-JFK on July 24. The price was 59 GBP with a small supplement for the optional meal (taking your own food on board was accepted 
We boarded across the pavement and up stairs as jetways weren’t available at LGW. I still have a form letter signed by Sir Freddie Laker assuring us that the DC-10 was a safe aircraft and that he and his family didn’t hesitate to fly it. —
Response:
> A few days after the Chicago accident, all DC-10s worldwide were grounded > while the reason for the engine separation was investigated and the pylons > checked for cracks. > I had been planning to fly JFK-LGW on the Laker Skytrain which used
DC-10s. Yup. My family went on vacation about a week or two after the DC-10 crash. We flew out on a UA 747-100 (this was when there was a piano upstairs) and were due to return via ITO. It was scheduled for a DC-10, but due to the grounding, UA substituted a DC-8. It was my last DC-8 flight and seemed little different from the 757s that I take today. Rich