Its when you stumble across a photo like this that sobers you to the thought that life is a fragile thing.
Here we have a photo of a 2 month old DC-9 about to turn under its own power after a pushback. Whats so different about this flight?
Well, I’ll tell you. No more than 3 hours after this photo was taken this very DC-9 crashed with the loss of all onboard after colliding with a privately owned Beechcraft propeller aircraft.
Reading the comments of this photo filled me with horror. I investigated the legitimacy of the comments, and they are accurate.
Just goes to show you, you may think your in control of your life, but at the end of the day it can be taken away as easily as you can crush a paper cup. Just mind boggling!
RIP to those onboard.
URL for this photo:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/526114/L/
By: Bmused55 - 22nd March 2004 at 07:54
Originally posted by steve rowell
What were the circumstances of the crash????
From the ASN wesbite:
TWA 553 operated on a flight from New York to Chicago via Harrisburgh, Pittsburgh, and Dayton. The aircraft operated on an IFR flight plan in visual flight conditions and had been cleared to descend from FL200 to 3000ft. While descending through 4525ft the DC-9 collided with a Beechcraft 55 (N6127V operated by the Tann Comp.) which was on a flight to Springfield. The descending DC-9, overtaking and converging from the left, struck the level Beechcraft from the left rear quarter. The collision angle between longitudinal axes of the two aircraft was approx. 47deg in the horizontal plane and 10deg down in the vertical plane. The collision destroyed the Beechcraft by causing it to disintegrate; portions of the Beech penetrated the forward fuselage section of the DC-9 and destroyed the integrity of the flight control system. The DC-9 entered a descending left turn, crashed and burned. The Beechcraft was not under control of, or in radio contact with any FAA traffic facility. Weather at the time of the collision was thin broken clouds with 6-7 miles visibility in haze.
PROBABLE CAUSE: “The failure of the DC-9 crew to see and avoid the Beechcraft. Contributing to this cause were physiological and environmental conditions and the excessive speed of the DC-9 which reduced visual detection capabilities under an air traffic control system which was not designed or equipped to separate a mixture of controlled and uncontrolled traffic.”
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March 21, 2004 at 10:22 pm