10 Plane Crashes That Changed Aviation

[Matt Molnar]

Americans practically take safe commercial flight for granted these days: out of over 50 million takeoffs over the past five years, there has been only one fatal crash (Comair 191). It wasn't always this way, however. Much of the technology that makes air travel so extraordinarily safe today has come as a direct result of fatal accidents of the past. Here are eight crashes and two emergency landings whose influence is felt—for the good—each time you step on a plane.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technol ... 21138.html

[N790SW]

Some of these might not be in the five year span but I can think of a few

1.) TWA Flight 800

2.) Pan Am 103

3.) 9-11 Hijackings

4.) AA 191

5.) United Airlines and US Airways 737 crashes ( rudder problems)

[Matt Molnar]

:?:

TWA 800 and USAir 427 (broken rudder) are on the list. Also, none of those you mention happened in the past 5 years.

[Ari707]

Whart about Southwest at Midway....

[Matt Molnar]

That killed a person on the ground, not a passenger.

[hiss srq]

The southwest crash was not soo much an influence on the industry in general but more so an impact on the procedures WN uses now for landing conditions calculations as well as the implimentation of use of the autobrakeing feature on their 737's which if I am not mistaken was already in the process of being enabled again at the time of the accident through the fleet. And to correct the rudder statement implying multiple crashes it was one for US, one for UA and a uncommanded rudder hard over of an Eastwind 737-200 on final approach to GSO. The crew on that flight followed the rushed procedures published for the 737 as a result of the previous accidents with US and UA and were able to recover it in time.

[MarkLawrence]

That big collision of the two 747's at Tenerife (KLM was one - I can't remember the other) had a very big impact on the industry I thinl - a lot of procedures were changed after that.

[N790SW]

:?:

TWA 800 and USAir 427 (broken rudder) are on the list. Also, none of those you mention happened in the past 5 years.

Matt- as I said- SOME OF THEM MAYBE WITHIN THE 5 YEAR SPAN! lol

besides TWA Flight 800 is one of those accidents that may never be solved, although there is many speculations of what caused it.. My 2 cents with out starting anything was that it was not the center fuel tank, and as a friend of mine said who used to fly the TWA 747s - including the same exact one said " 747s just don't fall out of the sky"

Again that was my 2cents....

[Winglets747]

Americans practically take safe commercial flight for granted these days: out of over 50 million takeoffs over the past five years, there has been only one fatal crash (Comair 191).

Yeah, and if they made that six years they would have had six fatal crashes (9/11, AA A300, Comair).

Perception is everything.

[moose135]

besides TWA Flight 800 is one of those accidents that may never be solved, although there is many speculations of what caused it.. My 2 cents with out starting anything was that it was not the center fuel tank, and as a friend of mine said who used to fly the TWA 747s - including the same exact one said " 747s just don't fall out of the sky"

Not saying I disagree with you, but...

[Tom_Turner]

besides TWA Flight 800 is one of those accidents that may never be solved, although there is many speculations of what caused it.. My 2 cents with out starting anything was that it was not the center fuel tank, and as a friend of mine said who used to fly the TWA 747s - including the same exact one said " 747s just don't fall out of the sky"

Not saying I disagree with you, but...

I'll second Moose on that...

[PhilDernerJr]

I assumed that one that would be on the list would have been the mid-air collision that took place over NYC several decades ago. What a story that was. One child fell so many feet and lived for a few days before succumbing to his/her injuries as well.

[Tom_Turner]

There was the Chalks crash, but I guess that is not a "jet airliner".

Interesting article. Its not factually wrong, but in discussing the TWA / United collision over the Grand Canyon, and accurately pointing out that the resolve after this incident put in place the adequate ATC that prevented any mid air collisions afterwards, it might lead one to conclude this crash was the *last* major collision, when in fact of course we had the TWA / United collision over New York in 1960.

Tom

[Matt Molnar]

I assumed that one that would be on the list would have been the mid-air collision that took place over NYC several decades ago. What a story that was.

My dad found a substantial piece of one of the planes on his roof on Staten Island. Not sure what he did with it.

[Mateo]

Still not jets, but there was also the Air Midwest 1900 at CLT, and wasn't there an American Connection J31 in Kirksville, or St. Joseph, or one of those small cities just north of St. Louis? There was also the Pinnacle CRJ lost during a ferry flight.