Causes
Official investigators identified loss of control in 6 of the incidents we cover, from 1987 to 2010. Each account explains how it arose in that case. A shared topic does not mean the same cause.
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| Date | Flight | Aircraft | Location | Fatalities | Report status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 January 2010 | Ethiopian Flight 409 | Boeing 737-800 | Mediterranean Sea, about 5 nautical miles southwest of Beirut airport | 90 aboard; 0 on the ground | LEVEL 3 Final report |
| 14 October 2004 | Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 | Bombardier CL-600-2B19 (CRJ-200) | Residential area about 2.5 miles south of Jefferson City Memorial Airport, Missouri | 2, both pilots; none on the ground | LEVEL 3 Final report |
| 11 May 1996 | ValuJet Flight 592 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 | Everglades, about 17 miles northwest of Miami International Airport | 110 aboard; 0 on the ground | LEVEL 3 Final report |
| 31 October 1994 | American Eagle Flight 4184 | Avions de Transport Regional model 72-212 (ATR 72) | A soybean field near Roselawn, Indiana | 68 aboard; 0 on the ground | LEVEL 3 Final report |
| 3 March 1991 | United Airlines Flight 585 | Boeing 737-291 Advanced | Widefield Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado | 25 | LEVEL 3 Final report |
| 16 August 1987 | Northwest Airlines Flight 255 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Romulus, Michigan | 156 total: 154 aboard and 2 on the ground | LEVEL 3 Final report |
A Boeing 737-800 entered two stalls and a spiral dive after leaving Beirut at night. All 90 people aboard died. Lebanon attributed the loss of control to crew handling; Ethiopian representatives disputed the findings.
Incident date:
LEVEL 3 Final report
A positioning CRJ-200 stalled at 41,000 feet. Both engines flamed out, repeated restarts failed, and the aircraft crashed near Jefferson City.
Incident date:
LEVEL 3 Final report
Oxygen generators carried in the forward cargo hold ignited a fire that spread into the DC-9 as its crew tried to return to Miami.
Incident date:
LEVEL 3 Final report
An ATR 72 holding for Chicago encountered large supercooled droplets. Ice behind the deice boots led to an aileron reversal and a fatal loss of control.
Incident date:
LEVEL 3 Final report
A Boeing 737 rolled right and crashed near Colorado Springs. The NTSB's amended final report found that its rudder most likely reversed the pilots' command.
Incident date:
LEVEL 3 Final report
An MD-82 left Detroit with its flaps and slats retracted. The crew omitted the taxi checklist, and the unpowered takeoff warning system stayed silent.
Incident date:
LEVEL 3 Final report