What Caused the 2001 Crash of American Airlines Flight 587?
Upon lift-off on November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300-600, encountered severe wake turbulence from the previous takeoff of Japan Airlines Flight 47, a Boeing 747-400, forcing the first officer to apply full federal movements to counter the turbulence, leading the vertical stabilizer to snap off, and the plane to crash into Queens, New York.
On November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587 (AA587), an Airbus A300B4-605R, took off from Runway 31 Left at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, bound for Las Américas International Airport in Punta Caucedo, Dominican Republic.
Before lining up, Japan Airlines Flight 47 (JAL47), a Boeing 747-400, took off en route to Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba, Japan.
When the Airbus A300 encountered wake turbulence, the first officer applied unnecessary rudder pedal movements to get out of it, but because his rudder movements doubled the design load limit of the stabilizer, it snapped off, causing the flight to crash in the neighborhood of Belle Harbor on the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, New York, killing five people on the ground and all 260 people on board: 251 passengers and nine crew members.
Furthermore, AA 587 ranks seventh globally in the deadliest single-aircraft accidents, and second on United States soil, behind American Airlines Flight 191, which killed all 271 passengers and crew on May 25, 1979.
After the crash, an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that First Officer Sten Molin’s rudder movements were far too necessary to control the severe turbulence.
Moreover, after the investigation, airlines’ training programs shifted to smooth aileron and pitch control movements when it comes to getting out of wake turbulence; a universal rudder warning was issued stating that no operational scenario requires full-scale control deflections, and flight simulators were reprogrammed to accurately simulate aerodynamic limits and high-speed upset conditions.
Overall, the tragedy of American Airlines Flight 587 highlighted the importance of clear communication between airlines and manufacturers about safety protocols.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Was American Airlines Flight 587 a terrorist attack?
No. Because the crash happened just two months after the September 11 attacks, many feared terrorism. However, the NTSB ruled out foul play or explosive devices after recovering the black boxes.
Source: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA02MA001.aspx
2) How many A300s have been written off?
24 A300s have been destroyed or written off in the aircraft’s operation history.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/nov/13/airbuscrash.usa2
3) How many people were killed in the crash?
265 people were killed: 260 on board and five people on the ground.
Why it matters
The crash of American Airlines Flight 587 led to improvements in pilot training and aircraft design, addressing how pilots respond to turbulence and how rudder systems are engineered to prevent similar future tragedies.
Sources
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