1979
Worst Air Crash in U.S. History
On Friday afternoon, Memorial Day weekend, American Airlines
Flight 191, a Los Angeles-bound DC-10, takes off at 3:03 p.m. from
Chicago-O’Hare International airport with 271 aboard. As Flight 191 raised its
nose during the initial stage of the takeoff, an engine under the left wing
broke off with its pylon assembly and fell to the runway.
The aircraft climbed
to about 350 feet above the ground and then began to spin to the left,
continuing its leftward roll until the wings were past the vertical position,
with the nose pitched down below the horizon. Moments later, the aircraft
crashed into an open field about a half-mile from its takeoff point, killing
all 271 people aboard and two others in a nearby trailer park. It was the worst
domestic air crash in U.S. history.