Air Crash Investigations Inadvertent In Flight Slat Deployment The Near Crash Of China Eastern Airlines Flight 583

On April 6, 1993, a China Eastern Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-11, flight 583, on its way from Beijing, China, to Los Angeles, California, had an inadvertent deployment of the leading edge wing slats while in cruise flight, not far from Shemya, Alaska. The autopilot disconnected, and the captain was manually controlling the airplane when it progressed through several violent pitch oscillations and lost 5,000 feet of altitude. Two passengers were fatally injured, and 149 passengers and 7 crewmembers received various injuries. The airplane did not receive external structural damage, but the passenger cabin was substantially damaged. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was the inadequate design of the flap/slat actuation handle by the Douglas Aircraft Company that allowed the handle to be easily and inadvertently dislodged from the UP/RET position, thereby causing extension of the leading edge slats during cruise flight.

On 17 July 2014, at 13.20 a Boeing 777-200 with the Malaysia Airlines nationality and registration mark 9M-MRD disappeared to the west of the TAMAK air navigation waypoint in Ukraine. The aeroplane impacted the ground in the eastern part of Ukraine, near the villages of Hrabove, Rozsypne and Petropavlivka. All 298 persons on board lost their lives. The in-flight disintegration of the aeroplane near the Ukrainian/ Russian border was the result of the detonation of a warhead. The weapon used was a 9N314M-model warhead carried on the 9M38-series of missiles, as installed on the Buk surface-to-air missile system. But was MH17 really hit by a 9N314M model war head mounted on a 9M38 series missile? Careful examination of the available facts show that the conclusion of the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) are questionable to say the least. The report is a mixture of an air crash investigation and a criminal investigation.

On July 3, 1988, the American navy ship USS Vincennes, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser operating in the Persian Gulf, shot down Iran Air Flight 655, an Airbus A300B2-203, on its way from Tehran to Dubai. All 290 people on board died. Iran Air 655 flew within its assigned corridor. The USS Vincennes thought it had to deal with an Iranian F-14 fighter jet. From this point of view it was simply a case of mistaken identity. It is amazing that a guided missile cruiser with extremely advanced electronic capabilities such as the USS Vincennes, equipped with an ultra modern system such as Aegis, could make such a case of mistaken identity. Although the U.S. had to pay damages, a clear admission of guilt, the officers and commander of the Vincennes received awards and decorations after all.

On June 1, 1999, at 2350:44 central daylight time, American Airlines flight 1420, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82, crashed after it overran the end of runway 4R during landing at Little Rock National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. The flight originated from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas. There were 145 persons on board. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The captain and 10 passengers were killed; 120 crewmembers and passengers received serious or minor injuries; and 24 passengers were not injured. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable causes were the flight crew's failure to discontinue the approach when severe thunderstorms.

On 31 August 1983, Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a Boeing 747, departed John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, United States, on a scheduled flight for Seoul, Republic of Korea. The flight had 269 persons on board. Soon after departure from Anchorage, Alaska, KE 007 deviated to the right (north) of its direct track, this deviation resulted in penetration of Sovjet Russian air space. Military aircraft operated by the USSR attempted to intercept KE 007 over Kamchatka Peninsula. The interception attempts were unsuccessful. Upon approaching Sakhalin Island, USSR, the flight was intercepted by USSR military aircraft and shot down on the assumption that is was a United States RC-135 (spy) aircraft. There were no survivors.