TWA Flight 841 (1979)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the 1974 incident on the same flight number, see TWA Flight 841 (1974).
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 4, 1979 |
| Type | Emergency landing |
| Site | Detroit, Michigan |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 8 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727-31 |
| Operator | TWA |
| Tail number | N840TW |
| Passengers | 82 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Survivors | 89 (all) |
On April 4, 1979, a Boeing 727-31 (tail number N840TW) operating as TWA Flight 841 took off from JFK International Airport, New York City en route to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Over Saginaw, Michigan, while the plane was cruising at 39,000 feet, its #7 slat extended, initiating a sharp roll to the right. The roll continued despite the corrective measures taken by the autopilot and the human pilot. The aircraft went into a spiral dive, losing about 34,000 feet in 63 seconds. During the course of the dive, the plane rolled through 360 degrees twice, and crossed the Mach limit for the 727 airframe. It was later estimated from the flight data recorder that the plane was momentarily supersonic. Control was regained at about 5,000 feet, following the #7 slat being torn off from the aircraft and symmetry of lift being re-established. The plane suffered substantial damage, but made an emergency landing at Detroit without more trouble. No fatalities occurred among the 82 passengers and seven crew members. Eight passengers reported minor injuries relating to high G forces.
The NTSB investigated the incident and established after eliminating all individual and combined sources of mechanical failure, that the extension of the slats was due to the flight crew manipulating the flap/slat controls in an inappropriate manner.
The aircraft was repaired and returned to service in May 1979.
