Sioux City Crash :: Essays Papers

Sioux City Crash INTRODUCTION Aircraft accidents can be a tragic thing. Some people may argue that all are avoidable. But when considering this statement, one must always remember there is an element that is in all accidents. Humans. Either through design, being flown by, or maintained by, humans are in all aspects of flying. As long as humans are in 100% control of an airplane there will be accidents. However, a good side to an accident is it is thoroughly researched by the NTSB. (National transportation and safety board). From a majority of those accidents, something can benefit aviation in general. Aviation can be benefited through design, training, or in this situation, re-evaluating current limitations to a safer level. The focus of my project is going to be on a particular accident that took place on July 19, 1989 when a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 aircraft crashed in Sioux City, Iowa. This particular type of aircraft, at the time of the accident, had been in production for about 18 years. The United Airlines jet was bound for Chicago when the tail-mounted engine broke apart and severed the aircrafts main hydraulic lines. Without hydraulics the aircraft wouldn’t be able to maneuver. It would also have trouble slowing down for landing. This meant trouble for United Airlines flight 232 with 285 passengers and 11 crew- members on board. Statement of the Problem: A potential problem of complete hydraulic failure if the tail-mounted engine breaks apart. Hypothesis Statement: My theory is this all could have been avoided. The actions taken after the accident could have been incorporated in the initial design of the aircraft. RESULTS On July 19,1989 a United Airlines DC-10-10 passenger plane took off Stapleton International in Denver Colorado. The plane was scheduled to make a quick stop in Chicago, Illinois and then continue on to Philadelphia, PA. After an uneventful hour of flight a loud thump was heard, followed by a shaking of the aircraft. The flight crew observed the tail-mounted engine had failed. (SEE FIGURE 3) While performing an engine shutdown procedure, the crew noticed that they didn’t have any hydraulic pressure. They also noticed that the fluid level was at zero. The co-pilot tried to maneuver the airplane with no success.