American Airlines Flight 191
American Airlines Flight 191 was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to Los Angeles International Airport. On the afternoon of May 25, 1979, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operating this flight was taking off from runway 32R at O'Hare International when its left engine detached from the wing, causing a loss of control, and the aircraft crashed less than one mile (1.6 km) from the end of the runway. All 258 passengers and 13 crew on board were killed, along with two people on the ground. With 273 fatalities, it is the deadliest aviation accident to have occurred in the United States.
Flight 191 after takeoff, missing its left engine, leaking fuel and hydraulic fluid
N110AA, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed at O'Hare five years prior
Flight 191 after impact
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas.
The DC-10 was intended to succeed the DC-8 for long-range flights. It first flew on August 29, 1970; it was introduced on August 5, 1971, by American Airlines.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10
A prototype during flight testing, the DC-10 made its first flight on August 29, 1970.
Continental Airlines six-abreast interior in 1973
The DC-10 has a three-crew cockpit including a flight engineer.
