On this date: 1994 - Air Disaster

On this date in 1994, USAir Flight 1016, an MD DC-9-31, carrying five crew and 52 passengers crashed on approach to Charlotte-Douglas Airport, North Carolina.  The aircraft, powered by two Pratt & Whitnet JT8D-7B engines, departed Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina on schedule for a 35 minute flight. On approach to Charlotte, two severe weather cells formed in the area of the airport resulting in a number of course corrections initiated by both the control tower and pilots.

Source: http://goo.gl/cM64M

Having flown into severe weather, the aircraft encountered severe winds. The cockpit crew decided to abort the approach and do a go-around. Shortly after the aborted approach, a wind shear associated with a microburst occurred causing the aircraft to strike the ground. The investigation determined that the aircraft failed to maintain proper attitude and thrust for an aborted flight and that there were inadequate wind shear warnings from the tower. The crash resulted 37 fatalities passenger fatalities and no crew fatalities.

Sources
http://goo.gl/oHycN

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Steven Kuhr

Emergency Management Nexus
Disaster History

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On this day: 1962 - In Flight Bombing

On this day in 1962, Continental Flight 11, a Boeing 707 traveling from Chicago to Kansas City with 37 passengers and eight crew, crashed near Unionville, MO. While in flight an explosive decompression occurred secondary to the detonation of a dynamite based IED in a rear lavatory. Shortly after the explosion the tail section separated causing the aircraft to descend uncontrollably. All 45 souls were killed. The FBI determined that the bomb was placed by an individual hoping to provide a newly upgraded life insurance pay-out to his family. The mid air explosion was witnessed by people on the ground as well as the commander of a US Air Force B-47 Stratojet Bomber traveling out of Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kansas. The subplot for the 1968 novel "Airport", which was produced as a movie by the same name in 1970, was somewhat based on this incident. 

Source http://goo.gl/Uz4si

Sources
http://goo.gl/SjJTM
http://goo.gl/Lfnki

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Steven Kuhr

Emergency Management Nexus
Disaster History

skuhr.blogspot.com
disasterhx.blogspot.com
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On this day: 1965 - Aircraft Crash

On this day in 1965 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Flight 705, a four engine Boeing 720, crashed on approach to Cairo International Airport. The crash resulted in the deaths of all 13 crew members and 108 passengers. Six passengers survived. Twenty-two journalists were among the fatalities. PIA was formed in 1947 and experienced a series of fatal and non-fatal crashes during it's period of operation including two in 1948, one in 1949, and then this accident in 1965. This accident is said to be the worst accident involving a B.720 aircraft in its operating history. The B.720 was developed an outgrowth of the B.707 as a narrow body short- to medium range aircraft.

Source: http://goo.gl/HjsR7

Boeing 720 Narrow Body Short- to Medium Range Aircraft Circa 1970 Source: http://goo.gl/iPLBd

Sources
http://goo.gl/Xwc79
http://goo.gl/HjsR7

--

Steven Kuhr

Emergency Management Nexus
Disaster History

skuhr.blogspot.com
disasterhx.blogspot.com
facebook.com/emnexus
twitter.com/steven_kuhr
#EMNexus
#DisasterHX