American Airlines accidents and incidents

This page lists American Airlines accidents and incidents. For lists of accidents and incidents on subsidiary carriers, see Envoy Air and American Connection

DFW American Airlines departure

1930s

• August 9, 1931: A Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor, registration NC9662, crashed on the bank of the Little Miami River near Cincinnati, Ohio, killing all 6 on board. The cause was failure and separation of the right side engine due to a broken hub.^[1]
• March 19, 1932: A Fokker F.10A, registration NC652E, crashed in an orchard near Calimesa, California after striking power lines in heavy fog, killing all seven on board.^[2]
• September 8, 1932: A Fokker F.10, registration NC9716, crashed into a mountain in poor weather near Salt Flat, Texas, killing 3 of 4 on board.^[3]
• January 20, 1933: A Stearman 4, registration NC11721, crashed into a hillside in poor visibility near Boerne, Texas, killing the pilot. The cause was spatial disorientation.^[4]
• March 6, 1934: A Pilgrim 100A, registration NC710Y, crashed into a snowdrift near Petersburg, Illinois during a blizzard, killing all four on board. The cause was wing/propeller icing.^[5]
• June 9, 1934: A Curtiss Condor, registration NC12354, crashed into Last Chance Hill in New York, killing all seven on board. The cause was pilot error.^[6]
• January 14, 1936: A Douglas DC-2-120 operating as American Airways Flight 1 crashed near Goodwin, Arkansas, killing all 17 people on board. Cause undetermined.^[7]

1940s

• October 30, 1941: American Airlines Flight 1, a Douglas DC-3 en route from New York City to Detroit with two stopovers at Buffalo and Chicago, stalled and dived into a ploughed field over St. Thomas, Ontario in Canada killing all 20 on board after circling to look for a place to land. Cause undetermined.
• October 23, 1942: American Airlines Flight 28 (Flagship Connecticut), en route from Burbank, California to New York City, crashed in Chino Canyon near Palm Springs after it was clipped by a U.S. Army Air Corps Lockheed B-34 Ventura II bomber. The crash killed all nine passengers and crew of three aboard the Douglas DC-3; among the victims was award-winning composer and Hollywood songwriter Ralph Rainger. The bomber, being flown by a two-man crew, landed safely.
• July 28, 1943: American Airlines Flight 63 (Flagship Ohio), a Douglas DC-3 routing Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati-Louisville-Nashville-Memphis crashed on the second-to-last segment of the flight (Louisville-Nashville) about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) west of Trammel, KY. The aircraft descended from 200 feet (61 m) until it struck trees, then traveled across an open field and stopped in an upright position. Of the 22 people on board (18 passenger and 4 crew) 20 died. The cause of the crash was loss of control due to severe turbulence and violent downdrafts.^[8]
• October 15, 1943: American Airlines Flight 63 (Flagship Missouri) a Douglas DC-3 routing Nashville-Memphis crashed near Centerville, Tennessee. As the aircraft was cleared to climb by air traffic control, it instead descended until it struck a hill and burst into flames. All 11 people on board (8 passengers and 3 crew) were killed, including Blan R. Maxwell, who was the speaker of the Tennessee State Senate. The cause of the crash was determined to be icing, either on the wings or propellers.^[9]
• February 10, 1944: American Airlines Flight 2, a DC-3 routing Little Rock, Arkansas-Memphis crashed into the Mississippi River about 18.1 miles (29.1 km) from Memphis International Airport. All 24 occupants on board (21 passengers and 3 crew members) were killed; 11 of the fatalities were members of the armed services. The cause of the crash was never determined.^[10]
• January 10, 1945: American Airlines Flight 6001, a Douglas DC-3 was approaching Lockheed Air Terminal now known as Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, CA when it apparently veered to the left as if circling to landing. The pilot radioed, stating he could not gain visual contact with the ground and requested vectors to Palmdale. Clearance to proceed was given, but the flight was not seen or heard from again until the next day when search crews found the wreckage in foothills approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) NE of the Lockheed Air Terminal. All 24 occupants (21 passengers and 3 crew), including 17 members of the Army and Navy, were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the pilot's missed approach procedure to the point where it could not be applied safely.^[11]
• February 23, 1945: American Airlines Flight 9, a Douglas DC-3 flying on a routing New York City-Washington, DC-Nashville-Los Angeles, crashed into the wooded summit of Glade Mountain about 6 miles (9.7 km) SW of the town of Rural Retreat, Virginia. Of the 22 occupants on board (19 passengers and 3 crewmembers) 17 were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error in not properly remaining at a safe altitude.^[12]
• March 3, 1946: American Airlines Flight 6-103, a Douglas DC-3, routing New York-Tucson-San Diego, crashed into Thing Mountain, near El Centro, California. The crew reported flying over El Centro; thereafter the aircraft descended and crashed into the mountain. All 25 occupants on board (22 passengers and 3 crew) were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the pilot's action in permitting the descent to occur, for which no explanation has been found.^[13]
• August 25, 1946: American Airlines Flight 26, (Flagship Tulsa), a Douglas C-47 was on a training flight originating and terminating in Memphis, TN. Approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) WSW of Ashland, MS the aircraft crashed into the ground. Both occupants on board were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be an unexplained loss of control.^[14]
• December 28, 1946: American Airlines Flight 2007, a Douglas C-50, routing Detroit-Chicago crashed near Michigan City, Indiana after an emergency diversion to South Bend after the pilot reported problems with both engines. Of the 21 occupants on board (18 passengers and 3 crew) 2 of the crew were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be fuel starvation in both engines.
• August 8, 1947: American Airlines Flight 765 a Douglas DC-3 flying New York City-Buffalo on a cargo flight (transporting an engine) crashed into Flushing Bay while returning to La Guardia Airport after the pilot reported low oil pressure in No. 2 engine. The aircraft sank in approximately five minutes. Both pilots on board were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be insufficient air speed for single-engine operation while attempting the landing.^[15]
• October 8, 1947: An American Airlines Douglas DC-4 over Texas went into a steep dive after a prank played by an off-duty pilot. The off-duty pilot secretly activated the wind-gust lock in flight, which resulted in the command pilot, not realizing that the wind-gust lock was activated, rolling the elevator trim with no response. When the off-duty pilot deactivated the gust lock, the aircraft went into a steep dive, executed part of an outside roll and became inverted. Neither the command pilot nor the off-duty pilot had their seat-belts fastened which led them to hit the feathering switches with their heads. No one realized the feathering reduced power but it allowed the strapped-in co-pilot to bring the aircraft back under control at an altitude of 350 feet.^[16]
• November 29, 1949: American Airlines Flight 157, a Douglas DC-6, veered off the runway and struck buildings after the flight crew lost control of the aircraft during its final approach to Dallas Love Field; 26 passengers and 2 crew members were killed.

1950s

• August 22, 1950: American Airlines Flight 14, a Douglas DC-6 flying from Los Angeles-Chicago suffered decompression after a propeller blade from the #3 engine failed and punctured the fuselage near Eagle, Colorado. The plane made a safe landing in Denver. One passenger with a heart condition died. The cause of the accident was fatigue in the propeller.^[17]
• January 22, 1952: American Airlines Flight 6780, a Convair 240 was on routing Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse-Newark when it crashed at the intersection of Williamson and South Streets in the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey, approximately 3.4 miles (5.5 km) SE of Newark while descending for a landing. The aircraft was noticed to be drifting off course and descending prior to the crash. All 27 occupants on board (20 passengers and 3 crew) plus 7 civilians on the ground, were killed. Among the passengers was Robert P. Patterson, former Undersecretary of War under Franklin Delano Roosevelt and former War Secretary under Harry S. Truman. The cause of the crash was never determined.^[18]
• June 28, 1952: A Temco Swift private aircraft flew into the No. 4 propeller of American Airlines Flight 910, a Douglas DC-6 carrying 55 passengers and 5 crew, on final approach to Dallas Love Field from San Francisco, California. The Swift crashed, killing both occupants, but the DC-6 was almost completely unscathed and landed safely. The crash was attributed to the failure of the Swift's pilot to exercise proper caution during his landing approach.^[19][20]
• September 16, 1953: American Airlines Flight 723, a Convair 240, was flying Boston-Springfield-Albany-Syracuse-Rochester-Buffalo-Detroit-Chicago when it crashed and caught fire after flying into a series of radio towers in a fog while descending for landing. All 28 occupants on board (25 passengers and 3 crew) were killed.^[21]
• January 21, 1954: American Airlines Flight 767, Convair CV-240 crashed quickly after taking off from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The left engine failed causing the pilot to attempt a return to the airport. A successful wheels up landing was made southeast of the airport 200 yards south of 2478 George Urban Blvd. in Depew, New York. No deaths and few injuries were reported.
• July 6, 1954: American Airlines Flight 163, a Douglas DC-6 was flying Cleveland-St. Louis when a 15-year-old passenger burst into the cockpit with an empty pistol. The captain produced his own gun and shot the perpetrator dead.^[22]
• March 20, 1955: American Airlines Flight 711, a Convair 240, was flying Chicago-Springfield, MO when it crashed a quarter mile short of the airport while landing. Of the 35 occupants on board (32 passengers and 3 crew), 13 were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be spatial disorientation and inattention to instruments.
• August 4, 1955: American Airlines Flight 476, a Convair 240, flying Tulsa-Springfield, Missouri-St. Louis-New York City crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri after the No.2 engine caught fire. While descending the right wing failed due to the fire and the aircraft crashed in a forest. All 30 occupants on board (27 passengers and three crew) were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the "installation of an unairworthy cylinder" on the engine.^[23]
• January 6, 1957: American Airlines Flight 327, a Convair 240, flying Providence, Rhode Island-Joplin-Tulsa when it struck trees about 4 miles (6.4 km) N of the approach end to Rwy 17 at Tulsa International Airport, slid along the ground to the top of an upslope, and then jumped a ditch and came to rest 540 feet (160 m) from the approach end. Of the 10 occupants on board (7 passengers and 3 crew) one passenger was killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the lack of alertness by the captain in allowing the first officer to continue the descent to too low an altitude.^[24]
• February 3, 1959: American Airlines Flight 320, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed on approach to LaGuardia on February 3, 1959 due to pilot error.
• August 15, 1959: American Airlines Flight 514 (Flagship Connecticut), a Boeing 707 was on a training flight ending at Grumman Peconic River Airport, Calverton, NY now known as Calverton Executive Airpark, when during descent the aircraft began a barrel roll to the right, yawed and crashed in flames after the pilots shut off the engines to simulate a flameout. All 5 crew on board were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the failure of the crew to recognize the yaw.^[25]

1960s

• September 14, 1960: American Airlines Flight 361, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, caught its landing gear on a dike while landing at LaGuardia Airport. The aircraft came to rest upside down. There were no fatalities amongst the seventy-six occupants (seventy passengers, six crew).^[26][27]
• January 28, 1961: American Airlines Flight 1502 (Flagship Oklahoma, a Boeing 707) was on a training flight from Idlewild Airport (now John F. Kennedy International Airport) when it crashed about five miles (8 km) W of Montauk Point after being seen left-wing low steep dive. All six occupants on board were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be a loss of control for reasons unknown.
• March 1, 1962: American Airlines Flight 1, a Boeing 707, crashed shortly after takeoff from Idlewild airport due to a maintenance error causing rudder failure. All 95 people on board were killed. At the time, it was the nation's highest death toll involving a single commercial airplane.^[28]
• November 8, 1965: American Airlines Flight 383, a Boeing 727, crashed on approach to Cincinnati airport. The aircraft crashed, killing 58 and leaving four survivors, including a flight attendant, Toni Ketchell. Pilot error was cited.

1970s

• December 28, 1970: American Airlines (Trans Caribbean Airways) 727-200; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands: The pilot made a hard landing which caused the aircraft to bounce, followed by a second touchdown which caused the main landing gear to fail. The aircraft overran the runway and hit an embankment. Two of the 46 passengers were killed, the crew survived.
• June 12, 1972: American Airlines Flight 96; the rear cargo door of a near-new McDonnell Douglas DC-10 en route from Los Angeles to New York with stops in Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI and Buffalo Niagara International Airport, NY opened in flight, causing an explosive decompression over Windsor, Ontario. Tail controls were damaged but it landed safely at Detroit. The cause was a design flaw of the DC-10 rear cargo door latching mechanism. (See Turkish Airlines Flight 981)
• April 27, 1976: American Airlines Flight 625, a Boeing 727, crashed on approach to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands resulting in a considerable number of fatalities. Overran short runway, pilot error cited. American subsequently ceased all jet service into St. Thomas until runway expansion and other airport improvements were completed. During this interim period, American served St. Thomas with Convair 440 prop aircraft operated by a wholly owned subsidiary, American Inter-Island Airlines (see Notes under Fleet history section).
• May 25, 1979: American Airlines Flight 191, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. During the takeoff roll, the left engine and pylon separated from the wing. The crew continued the takeoff, but wing damage due to the engine separation also damaged the aircraft hydraulic system and caused retraction of some flight control surfaces. The aircraft rolled and crashed shortly after takeoff. All 258 passengers and 13 crew were killed. Two people on the ground were also killed. This is the deadliest accident in the airline's history and the deadliest on U.S. soil.
• 15 November 1979: American Airlines Flight 444 en route from Chicago-Washington, DC; the Unabomber attempted to blow up the flight with a bomb smuggled into the cargo hold. The explosive failed to detonate, instead only giving off large quantities of smoke. There were no fatalities, and 12 passengers were treated for smoke inhalation.

1980s

• On December 31, 1984, American Airlines Flight 626, a DC-10, was hijacked during a flight from St. Croix Airport to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport. The aircraft landed at Havana Airport. The whereabouts of the hijacker are still unknown.
• On April 16, 1985, engine number 3 of an American Airlines Boeing 727 was torn from its mounts while flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet. Frozen fluid from a leakage of the lavatory waste drain valve was ingested by the engine. There were no injuries.^[29]
• June 27, 1985: American Airlines Flight 633, a DC-10, taking off from Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas overran the runway and nosedived into a nearby lake. There were no injuries.^[30]
• February 3, 1988: American Airlines Flight 132, a MD-83, experienced a cargo hold fire because of a chemical reaction resulting from undeclared and improperly packaged hazardous materials. There were no fatalities.^[31]
• May 21, 1988: American Airlines Flight 70, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 bound for Frankfurt, overran Runway 35L at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport during an attempted rejected takeoff; the jetliner continued to accelerate for several seconds before slowing, and did not stop until it had run 1,100 feet (335 m) past the runway threshold, collapsing the nose landing gear. 2 crew were seriously injured and the remaining 12 crew and 240 passengers escaped safely; the aircraft was severely damaged and was written off.^[32][33]

1990s

• April 14, 1993: The pilot of American Airlines Flight 102, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, lost directional control during a crosswind landing in rainy conditions and caused the jetliner to slide off Runway 17L at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after arriving from Honolulu, Hawaii. The craft dug into deep mud alongside the runway, collapsing the nose landing gear and tearing off the left-hand engine and much of the left wing. 2 passengers suffered serious injuries while using the evacuation slides to escape from the steeply tilted fuselage; the remaining 187 passengers and all 13 crew evacuated in relative safety, but the aircraft was written off.^[34][35][36]
• November 12, 1995: American Airlines Flight 1572 a McDonnell McDouglas MD-83 on a domestic scheduled passenger flight between Chicago-Hartford, struck trees and landed short of the runway threshold on landing at Bradley International Airport. There was one injury among the 78 on board. The cause of the crash was determined to be the failure of the crew to properly maintain the required altitude during descent.
• December 20, 1995: American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashed on approach to Calí, Colombia, due to pilot error. Of the 159 passengers and crew aboard, four passengers survived.
• February 9, 1998: American Airlines Flight 1340 a Boeing 727 struck the ground short of the runway 14R threshold at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) while conducting a Category II (Cat II) instrument landing system (ILS) coupled approach.
• June 1, 1999: American Airlines Flight 1420, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, overran the runway while landing during a storm at Little Rock, Arkansas; the aircraft's captain and 10 of the passengers were killed.

2000s

• November 20, 2000: Purser Jose Chiu, of American Airlines Flight 1291, an Airbus A300, died when a pressurized cabin door opened abruptly during an emergency evacuation at Miami International Airport. The airplane took off from Miami for a planned flight to Haiti. Climbing through 16,000 feet, bleed air from the engines pressurized the cabin to an artificial altitude of 8,000 feet as normal. 11 minutes after departure, warnings from lavatory smoke detectors and a warning light indicating a possible fire in the belly hold (both false, as it turned out) caused the captain to return the aircraft to Miami and order an emergency evacuation upon landing. However, the forward cabin outflow valve was partially blocked by insulation blankets. The blocked valve prevented the cabin from depressurizing and resulted in the cabin pressure increasing further after landing. A flight attendant in the rear cabin (investigators could not determine which one) came forward and advised the captain that the emergency exit doors would not open. About 40 seconds after this statement, Chiu was observed trying to force the handle with both hands. The door, under an estimated 1,500 pounds of pressure, suddenly burst open. The rush of escaping air hurled Chiu more than 40 feet out of the left main door to his death. Two flight service directors in the forward area also were knocked unconscious when the door exploded open.^[37]
• May 23, 2001: The right main landing gear of American Airlines Flight 1107, a Fokker 100, collapsed upon landing on Runway 17C at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after a scheduled flight from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. The pilot was able to maintain directional control and bring the aircraft to a stop on the runway. The incident was attributed to metal fatigue caused by a manufacturing flaw in the right main gear's outer cylinder; there were no serious injuries to the 88 passengers or 4 crew, but the aircraft was written off.^[38][39]
• September 11, 2001 attacks: Two of the four planes hijacked were American Airlines flights. The first was American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767-200 that was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, and American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757-200 that was flown into the Pentagon.
• November 12, 2001: American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300 crashed in the Belle Harbor neighborhood of New York City shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport due to separation of the vertical stabilizer after the pilots overused the rudder while trying to counter wake turbulence from a 747 ahead of them. All 260 people aboard the jetliner and 5 people on the ground were killed.
• December 22, 2001: A plot to bomb American Airlines Flight 63 by "shoe bomber" Richard Reid was foiled. The flight was en route from Paris-Charles De Gaulle to Miami, and was diverted to Boston's Logan Airport.
• December 7, 2005: Rigoberto Alpizar, a passenger on American Airlines Flight 924, who officials said had claimed to have a bomb in a carry-on bag, was shot and killed by a team of federal air marshals on the jetway as passengers boarded at Miami International Airport for a flight to Orlando, Florida, from Medellín, Colombia.
• June 2, 2006: A Boeing 767-223ER (registered N330AA, MSN: 22330/LN: 166) suffered a catastrophic engine failure and fire whilst under maintenance at Los Angeles International Airport.^[40]
• September 28, 2007: American Airlines Flight 1400, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport to O'Hare International Airport suffered an engine fire on take off. The aircraft returned to Lambert-St Louis where a successful emergency landing was made after the nose gear had to be extended by the emergency landing gear extension procedure. No injuries were reported among the 138 passengers and crew, although the aircraft was substantially damaged.^[41]
• May 9, 2009: Thomas Jukovich, an American Airlines ramp worker, died after falling to the ground while loading luggage into Flight 995, at Miami International Airport. The aircraft, a Boeing 777, was scheduled to depart to São Paulo, Brazil. The flight was later cancelled.^[42]
• December 22, 2009: American Airlines Flight 331 overran the runway in heavy rain at Kingston, Jamaica during landing and came to rest on an access road just short of the Caribbean Sea, with its fuselage broken in three. More than 40 people were injured.^[43]

See also

• List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by airline

References