Breakdown of American Airlines Accident of Flight 191

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Cause(s) of Accident
On May 25, 1979 flight 191, American Airlines McDonnel Douglas DC-10-10 departed Chicago O'Hare International Airport (Kilroy, 2002). Flight 191 began its take- off role, shortly after rotation the left number one engine and pylon broke free from the wing (Kilroy, 2002). The engine and pylon assembly rotated upward and back over the top of the wing coming to rest about mid-way down the runway. Due to the departure of the engine and pylon assembly it damaged a large section of the leading edge slats, hydraulics wing surface, and electrical wiring (National Geographic, 2012).
At this point the aircraft was flying wings level at 300 feet Above Ground Level (AGL) with an air speed of 165 Knots Indicated Air Speed (KIAS) (Kilroy, 2002). Following emergency procedures the aircrew began to reduce their airspeed to 159 KIAS; however, the aircraft responded unexpectedly by rolling to the left. This prompted the aircrew to apply full right rudder and aileron inputs to correct the roll and bring the aircraft back to wings level; however, the aircraft continued to roll left (Kilroy, 2002). Now at 400 feet AGL and airspeed of 155 KIAS, the left wing dropped 122 degrees and the nose of the aircraft pitched downward to 21 degrees beyond the horizon. The aircraft impacted the ground short of a trailer park completely destroying the DC-10-10 (Kilroy, 2002).

Structural and Mechanical Factors
The beginning sequence of this accident had begun a month earlier, after American Airlines completed maintenance on the number one engine and pylon assembly (National Geographic, 2012). The assembly required removal from the left wing and was completed without following the prescribed maintenance directives from McDonnell Douglas....

... middle of paper ...

...ith its engine and pylon maintenance procedures (Hoover & Fowler, n.d.).

References
ASN. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19790525-2
Hoover, K., & Fowler, W. T. (n.d). Studies in ethics, safety, and liability for engineers
Retrieved from http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/~nikos/courses/ae171/AA%20191.doc
Kilroy, C. (2008). Airdisaster.com. Retrieved from http://www.airdisaster.com/special/special-aa191.shtml
King, J. B. (1979). American Airlines Inc., DC-10-10, N011A chicago o'hare international airport chicago illinois (NTSB/AAR-79-17). Retrieved from http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident reports/AAR79-17.pdf
National Geographic (2012). Seconds From Disaster S3E15 - Chicago Air Crash American Airlines Flight 191 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEY6HnF1olU

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