Air Crash Investigations Lost The Crash Of American Airlines Flight 965

On December 20, 1995, American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757-223, was on a scheduled passenger flight from Miami, Florida, U.S.A., to Cali, Colombia. Close to its final destination the pilots erroneously cleared the approach waypoints from their navigation computer. When the controller asked the pilots to check back in over Tulua, north of Cali, it was no longer programmed into the computer. They were lost and the aircraft crashed into a mountain. Of the 163 people on board, 4 passengers survived miraculously the accident.

On November 12, 2001, American Airlines flight 587, an Airbus A300-605R, took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York. Flight 587 was a scheduled passenger flight to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with a crew of 9 and 251 passengers aboard the airplane. Shortly after take-off the airplane lost its tail, the engines subsequently separated in flight and the airplane crashed into a residential area of Belle Harbor, New York. All 260 people aboard the airplane and 5 people on the ground were killed, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire.

On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10 aircraft, on its way from Chicago to Los Angeles, crashed just after take-off near Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, Illinois. During the take off the left engine and pylon assembly and about 3 ft of the leading edge of the left wing separated from the aircraft and fell to the runway. Flight 191 crashed killing two hundred and seventy one persons on board and two persons on the ground. The accident remains the deadliest airliner accident to occur on United States soil.

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 25 January 2010, at 00:41:30 UTC, Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 409, a Boeing 737-800, on its way from Beirut to Addis Abeba, crashed just after take-off from Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, into the Mediterranean Sea about 5 NM South West of Beirut International Airport. All 90 persons on board were killed in the accident. The investigation concluded that the probable causes of the accident were pilot errors due to loss of situational awareness. Ethiopian Airlines refutes this conclusion. Other factors that could have lead to probable causes are the increased workload and stress levels that have most likely led to the captain reaching a situation of loss of situational awareness similar to a subtle incapacitation and the F/O failure to recognize it or to intervene accordingly. Ethiopian Airlines refutes the investigation. According to the airline the final report was biased, lacking evidence, incomplete and did not present the full account of the accident.

The Lockheed 1011 registered A6-BSM, operated by Star Jet and chartered by Olympic Airlines, arrived on 4 July 2005 at Terminal 1 at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Departure was delayed because the forward hold door could not be closed. A mechanic tried to close the door manually with a hammer and a chuck. Some passengers, worried about the apparent state of the cabin and the noise, asked to disembark, and this led to a mass movement. The airplane took finally off at 16h17. Shortly after departure the crew noticed problems with engine number 3. The captain requested the SEVERE DAMAGE procedure and returned to the airport. The French Bureau d'Enqu tes et d'Analyses pour la s curit de l'aviation civile (BEA) investigated the incident. BEA found out that the aircraft suffered from many problems, such as leaking fuel, malfunctioning safety features and lacking maintenance. The flight crew was not properly licensed, the captain was too old to fly in Europe. The Lockheed Tristar was a flying coffin.

On December 29, 1972 an Eastern Air Lines' Lockheed L-1011, as Flight 401 on its way from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, to Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, crashed at 2342 eastern standard time in the Everglades, approximately 18 miles west northwest of Miami International Airport. The aircraft was destroyed. There were 163 passengers and a crew of 13 aboard the aircraft, 99 people died in the crash. The flight was diverted because of problems with the nose landing gear The aircraft climbed to 2,000 feet while the crew attempted to correct the problem. Surviving passengers and crewmembers stated that the flight was routine and operated normally before impact with the ground. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident, was preoccupation with a malfunction of the nose landing gear position indicating system distracted the crew's attention from the instruments and allowed the descent to go unnoticed.

On April 27, 1976, American Airlines, Flight 625, a Boeing 727-95, operated as a scheduled passenger flight from Providence, Rhode Island, to Harry S Truman Airport, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, with a stop at John F. Kennedy -International Airport, New York. The flight departed JFK at 1200 with 88 persons, including 7 crewmembers, aboard. At about 1510, during landing at the Harry S Truman Airport, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, flight 625 overran the departure end of runway 9, struck the ILS antenna, crashed through a fence, and came to rest against a building located 1,040 feet beyond the end of the runway. The aircraft was destroyed, 35 passengers and 2 flight attendants were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the captain's actions and his misjudgment in initiating a go-around maneuver with insufficient runway remaining after a long touchdown.