2001: Four airliners were hijacked by Islamic terrorists, intentionally crashing two into the World Trade Center towers, one into the Pentagon, and one falling short of its target in Skanksville, PA. The crashes of American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 93, combined with people on the ground, killed a total of 2,993 people.
1991: Continental Express Flight 2574, operated by Britt Airways on an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia (registered N33701), crashed on approach to Bush Interncontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, killing all 14 onb0ard. Missing screws on the horizontal stabilizer were determined to be the cause of the crash.
1974: Eastern Airlines Flight 212, a DC-9 (N898FE), fell short of the runway at Charlotte -Douglas International Airport, killing 72 of the 82 onboard, including the father and two brothers of comedian Stephen Colbert. The crash was attributed to the flight crew’s lack of altitude awareness and cockpit discipline.
1968: Air France Flight 1611, Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off of Nice, killing all 95 onboard. Probable cause was attributed to a fire which originated in the rear of the cabin.
1941: Ground-breaking for the construction of the Pentagon, which was attacked exactly 60 years later in a terrorist attack involving a crashed hijacked airliner in 2001.
1932: Franciszek Żwirko and Stanisław Wigura, Polish Challenge 1932 (International Tourist Plane Contest) winners, are killed in a plane crash when their RWD 6 crashed into the ground during a storm.
Expressway Visual approach to LaGuardia, August 25th, 2001. (Photo by Matt Molnar)
About the Author
