Inside The Black Box

At just before 3pm on May 25th, 1979. American Airlines Flight 191 begins to push back from gate K5 at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. The airport is busy, It is the Friday before the Memorial Day long weekend and many are travelling to be with their families or going on holiday. The aircraft chosen to fly the route. a McDonnel Douglas DC-10 is at capacity, carrying 258 passengers and 13 crew members. American 191’s destination is Los Angeles, California. In command of the aircraft is Captain Walter Lux, aged 53. A veteran pilot, with more than 22,000 hours flying experience. Supporting him is First Officer James Dillard, aged 49 who has more than 9,000 hours flight time. He will be piloting the aircraft this afternoon Finally, completing the crew is Flight Engineer Alfred Udovich, aged 56. Before the introduction of advanced electronics, a flight engineer was the third member of an airliner’s flight crew, tasked with monitoring, operating and fixing an aircraft’s systems while in flight. The DC-10 is a complex aircraft, with three engines. Two are mounted on the wings, while one is mounted on the tail of the aircraft. This configuration of aircraft, known as tri-jet was very popular with US airlines during the 1970s and 1980s, offering a compromise in size and range between larger four engine aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and smaller twin-engine aircraft such as the Airbus A300

After pushing back from Gate K5, the pilots begin their taxi to Runway 32 Right. As the crew travel across the busy airport the crew complete their final pre-flight checks on the move so they can take-off as soon as they arrive at the runway. This is known as a rolling takeoff. It is Flight Engineer Udovich who reads through the aircraft’s checklist while Captain Lux and First Officer Dillard perform the necessary checks.. At 2 minutes past 3 the aircraft is approaching the runway and Chiacgo’s Air Traffic Control gives American 191 clearance for takeoff. Captain Lux acknowledges the tower’s instruction. It is the last time anybody will hear from American Airlines 191.

This is the story of American Airlines 191 and you are listening to Inside The Black Box.

Drawing of bulkhead structure: http://code7700.com/images/aa_191_pylon_assembly_ntsb_aar_79-17.png

Drawing of engine assembly http://code7700.com/images/aa_191_engine_and_pylon_assembly_ntsb_aar_79-17.png

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It is just after 2pm on the Saturday the 11th of May 1996. A McDonnell Douglas DC9 lines up on Runway 9L at Miami International Airport. The DC-9 is being operated by Valujet, a low-cost carrier in operation since only 1992. Valujet Flight 592’s destination is Atlanta, Georgia. The DC-9 carries 105 passengers and 5 crew members. In command is Captain Candalyn Kubeck (aged 35) and First Officer Richard Hazen (aged 52). Their departure from Miami has been delayed by just over an hour due to mechanical problems. The aircraft’s autopilot is not functioning and the cabin to cockpit intercom is also not operational. Nevertheless, these faults are not severe enough to ground the aircraft and the flight can continue.

First Officer Hazen smoothly applies takeoff power while Kubeck controls the aircraft during the takeoff roll. Hazen calls out the aircraft’s progress as it gathers speed down the runway. - V1 – The speed at which Captain Kubeck must decide whether to continue or abort the takeoff. - VR – The speed at which Kubeck begins to climb the aircraft - V2 – The speed at which the aircraft can still takeoff should an engine fail.

The takeoff is entirely uneventful and the DC-9 begins climbing into a blue Florida sky. Nobody onboard are aware that a chain reaction of events has already begun which will leave the passengers and crew dead within 10 minutes.

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It’s just before 1am on the 23rd of March, 1994, An Airbus A310 cruises on autopilot at 33,000 feet above a frozen Siberian landscape. Aeroflot 593 is a regular Moscow to Hong Kong passenger service operating under the Russian International Airlines subsidiary of the national carrier, Aeroflot. The pride of Aeroflot’s fleet, the aircraft is named Glinka, after the father of classical music in Russia, Mihail Glinka. Aeroflot 593 carries 63 passengers and 12 crew members.

On the flight deck are five people:

• Relief Captain Yaroslav Kudrinsky
• Acting First Officer Igor Piskaryov
• Vladimir Makarov – An experience Aeroflot pilot who is travelling as a passenger
• Yana Kudrinsky – 13, Relief Captain Kudrinsky’s daughter.
• Eldar Kudrinsky – 15 Kudrinsky’s son.

What will begin as a father’s wish to fulfil their child’s dream will rapidly descend into chaos. In 5 minutes, those in the cockpit and everybody aboard will be dead.

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Welcome to Inside The Black Box

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