Latest news with #McDonnellDouglasDC-10
Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Investigators reach crucial stage in probe of one of worst aviation disasters
A member of Michigan Shipwreck Association said she "feels like we have failed" following the key juncture in the probe into the Northwest Orient Flight 2501 crash in the US Investigators have decided to end a desperate 20-year search for a plane which crashed into a lake - killing all the 58 people on board. The Northwest Orient Flight 2501 tragedy actually happened in 1950 but, since 2004, a dedicated team at non-profit organisation Michigan Shipwreck Association has engaged in a huge mission to find the bodies and remains of the plane. The crash was, at the time, the worst aviation disaster in US history and saw flight controllers lose radio contact with the aircraft, which reportedly experienced engine problems and careered into Lake Michigan. Only body fragments of the 58 victims have been discovered and the wreckage has never been recovered. Michigan Shipwreck Association used sonar technology and even got support from an acclaimed adventure writer amid the 21-year mission to find the remains. It was to no avail but the decision to halt the search has left the organisation with mixed feelings. Valerie van Heest, executive director, said: "It's a hard thing to have to say because part of me feels like we have failed, but we have done so much to keep memory of this accident and these victims at forefront that I feel like we've done better for them than if we'd found the wreckage." READ MORE: Expert details Air India plane's 'problem' she believes led to horror crash Scientists believe the plane, which was a propeller-driven DC-4, now in very limited use, broke up into pieces too small to be detected by side-scan sonar and likely "sunk into the muck" on the bottom. They reached this conclusion having scoured the 700 square miles (1,813 square kilometers) of Lake Michigan, one of the largest lakes in the world. The plane left LaGuardia Airport in New York City at night on June 23, 1950, with two stops planned on the route to Seattle. An intense storm suddenly appeared and the plane went down. Debris and body parts washed ashore in South Haven, Michigan. Ms van Heest continued: "We know this plane hit the water with great force, and we know there was no way to survive this." The expert has now written a book Fatal Crossing, which is about the mystery. Clive Cussler, an author whose adventure fiction has sold in the millions, financially supported a search until 2017. Also known for his own shipwreck hunting and underwater exploits, Mr Cussler died in 2020. Writing in 2018, the author said: "I hope someday the families of those lost will have closure." Mystery, though, remains for any living families of the 55 passengers and three crew members, who were travelling on the plane 75 years ago. Further atrocities have become the US' worst aviation disasters in the decades since, not least the American Airlines Flight 191 disaster on May 25, 1979. Some 273 people died when the McDonnell Douglas DC-10's engine detached from the wing, causing a loss of control as it took off at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois.
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Frightening reason packed Boeing 777 flying from Denver to Hawaii made emergency landing in San Francisco
A packed United Airlines passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing in San Francisco after a faulty alarm indicated a cargo door was open. United Airlines Flight 1731, carrying 360 passengers and 10 crew members, was headed from Kona International Airport in Hawaii to Denver International Airport when the pilot got the nerve-wracking alert early Monday morning. A cargo door opening mid-flight poses a serious threat to the safety of everyone on board, as it can cause a rapid decrease in cabin pressure and oxygen. Believing one of the aircraft's doors may not be properly secured, the pilot diverted the Boeing 777 to San Francisco International Airport about six hours into the flight. The airplane safely landed at around 3:45am local time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced in a statement. The agency is investigating the incident. All of the affected passengers boarded different flights to make it to Denver on Monday morning. United officials confirmed the cargo door sensor sounding off was due to a technical issue. The door was secure the whole flight. An airline spokesperson told Business Insider the plane made its unexpected landing to 'address a malfunctioning door sensor.' They pointed to the aircraft being 28 years old. In March 2024, an Alaska Airlines plane experienced the opposite scenario - a cargo actually did open up, but it triggered no alert to flight staff. Alaska Airlines Flight 1437 from Los Cabos, Mexico, arrived at Portland International Airport with one of the doors slightly ajar. Photos obtained by KOIN 6 showed the Boeing 737 after landing, in which the door was seen cracked open. It's unclear how long the door was open for, but the flight did not make an emergency landing. There was no indication that the door was open during the flight, according to crew members, so it may have popped open once the plane reached the ground. Regardless, the incident was still described as a 'pretty major defect' by aviation expert Joe Schwieterman. 'It affects a lot of the electrical equipment in that cargo hold. So, it is troublesome that you may have a plane where some things like this went undetected,' he told KOIN 6. The expert said that such a defect should have triggered a sensor, which it did not appear to do. The horrifying event of a cargo door flying open mid-air is unlikely and considered 'impossible' above a 10,000-foot altitude, ABC reported. 'At cruising altitude there is enough pressure inside the cabin that it pushes the door against the hull of the airplane,' ABC News contributor and former Marine Col. Steve Ganyard told the outlet. 'As the airplane descends, then the pressure begins to equalize. It is possible at very low that door to be opened while the aircraft is still in flight.' A fatal cargo door related incident did occur in 1974 on a Turkish Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10, Business Insider reported. The door's latch came loose and led to rapid decompression on the plane, killing all 346 people onboard.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Over 300 United Airlines passengers were diverted when a faulty sensor told pilots that a cargo door was open
360 United Airlines passengers were diverted to San Francisco during a redeye flight. A flight-deck indicator said the cargo door was open — a potentially dangerous situation. However, it turned out that the door sensor was malfunctioning, the airline said. A United Airlines Boeing 777 diverted after an indicator wrongly told its pilots that the cargo door was open. Sunday's Flight 1731, from Hawaii's Kona International Airport, was supposed to land in Denver around 5:30 a.m. local time on Monday. Three hours into the journey, the plane descended below 10,000 feet as it flew over the Pacific Ocean, according to Flightradar24 data. It landed in San Francisco shortly before 4 a.m. local time, nearly six hours after leaving Hawaii. The trip to Denver usually takes about six hours, but flying so low requires a slower speed. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the pilots reported that an indicator said the cargo door was open. However, it turned out that the problem was actually with the indicator itself. An airline spokesperson told Business Insider that the plane diverted to "address a malfunctioning door sensor." The plane in question is 28 years old, suggesting a maintenance problem. There were 360 passengers and 10 crew members on board. "We have arranged for a different aircraft to take our customers to Denver Monday morning," the United spokesperson added. The FAA said it will investigate the incident. An open door on a plane would be a very dangerous situation, so it makes sense that the pilots were cautious and diverted to the nearest airport. Descending below 10,000 feet would also make the air on board breathable if the cabin had depressurized due to an opening. In 1974, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operated by Turkish Airlines suffered a fault with a cargo door latch. This led to an explosive decompression, which cut off critical controls and led to the deaths of all 346 people on board. It remains one of the deadliest aviation disasters in history. Two years earlier, a cargo door on American Airlines Flight 96 broke off due to a design flaw with the DC-10. The rapid decompression caused the passenger cabin's floor to collapse, and eleven people were injured. Advancements in aviation safety and design mean such events are even rarer today. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
29-04-2025
- General
- Business Insider
Over 300 United Airlines passengers were diverted when a faulty sensor told pilots that a cargo door was open
A United Airlines Boeing 777 diverted after an indicator wrongly told its pilots that the cargo door was open. Sunday's Flight 1731, from Hawaii's Kona International Airport, was supposed to land in Denver around 5:30 a.m. local time on Monday. Three hours into the journey, the plane descended below 10,000 feet as it flew over the Pacific Ocean, according to Flightradar24 data. It landed in San Francisco shortly before 4 a.m. local time, nearly six hours after leaving Hawaii. The trip to Denver usually takes about six hours, but flying so low requires a slower speed. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the pilots reported that an indicator said the cargo door was open. However, it turned out that the problem was actually with the indicator itself. An airline spokesperson told Business Insider that the plane diverted to "address a malfunctioning door sensor." The plane in question is 28 years old, suggesting a maintenance problem. There were 360 passengers and 10 crew members on board. "We have arranged for a different aircraft to take our customers to Denver Monday morning," the United spokesperson added. The FAA said it will investigate the incident. An open door on a plane would be a very dangerous situation, so it makes sense that the pilots were cautious and diverted to the nearest airport. Descending below 10,000 feet would also make the air on board breathable if the cabin had depressurized due to an opening. In 1974, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operated by Turkish Airlines suffered a fault with a cargo door latch. This led to an explosive decompression, which cut off critical controls and led to the deaths of all 346 people on board. It remains one of the deadliest aviation disasters in history. Two years earlier, a cargo door on American Airlines Flight 96 broke off due to a design flaw with the DC-10. The rapid decompression caused the passenger cabin's floor to collapse, and eleven people were injured. Advancements in aviation safety and design mean such events are even rarer today.
