Francisco Cunha - ✈️ Aviation et al

(⚠️ WARNING! CONTENT MAY BE DISTURBING ) One of the most eerie CVR recordings

October 31 1979: Western Airlines Flight 2605, a DC-10, crashes in Mexico City: 72 of 88 aboard, 1 on the ground die. Under fog, Jet landed on a closed runway, hit vehicles and veered into a building. Investigation stated crew did not follow several approach procedures.

This was one of three major DC-10 accidents in 1979, giving the type a bad reputation. American Airlines 191 crashed at Chicago in May – still the worst air disaster in US - and in November Air New Zealand Flight 901 struck Mount Erebus in Antarctica. All combined, these three accidents alone killed over 600 people.

In an uncanny coincidence, exactly 31 years later, on the same day, Singapore Airlines 006 also impacted vehicles while operating on the wrong runway (albeit on take-off, rather than landing)

I´ve saw this one and didn´t believe it but...

According to ASN, the aircraft, a Cessna 17 [N57BM] was following a United Airlines B-737 [Flight 2166] at Santa Ana-John Wayne Airport, CA

Then, accordingo ASN - "N57BM was following United 2166 on taxiway A to runway 02L at Orange County.

All traffic was stopped at the hold short lines. When the United 737 powered up to line up 02L, N57BM behind them was overturned by the jetblast."

Thankfully none of the two aboard were hurt

@aero_in

Meanwhile, in Monza, on the last lap of a 6-hour race, these two future teammates clashed like this😬😬

“This flight crew was not capable of performing the function or assuming the responsibility for the job they presumed to do” (and were on a DOD contract)

November 8, 1961: Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8, a Lockheed Constellation, crashes in Virginia. The aircraft had developed engine issues and went down when attempting an emergency landing in Byrd Field, Richmond.

The aircraft had been chartered by the US Army to transport 74 recruits to South Carolina for training, all of whom perished in the occurrence (only two of the flight crew survived).

The subsequent enquiry was very critical of pilot actions, aircraft maintenance, and airline management.

The CAB – Civil Aeronautics Board – investigators concluded “this flight crew was not capable of performing the function or assuming the responsibility for the job they presumed to do (…) the management personnel should have been aware of the manner in which company operations were being accomplished. It is believed that the substandard maintenance practices of Imperial's employees were condoned by management (…)”

The Probable Cause statement bluntly pointed to “the lack of command coordination and decision, lack of judgment, and lack of knowledge of the equipment resulting in loss of power in three engines creating an emergency situation which the crew could not handle”.

In the aftermath, the airline´s troubled history began surfacing, including a crash killing 19 Marines years earlier.

Later, Time Magazine revealed that DOD had effectively been compelled to rely on carriers such as Imperial Airlines as Congress required the use of civilian air carriers for economic reasons, while the Pentagon was obligated to award contracts through competitive bidding and select the lowest bidder.

This system often favored financially weak companies with poor safety records.

By 1962, Congress enacted legislation requiring all supplemental carriers to reapply for CAB certification, carry liability insurance, and maintain sounder financial standing. The new regulations forced roughly 20 “nonsked” (non-scheduled) carriers out of business, although the industry later rebounded within five years, aided by military demand for troop and equipment transport during the Vietnam War.

I´ve seen a lot of crabbing aircraft, but crabbing in a car this bad and still being able to bring it to the pits. There´s some serial skils there