proach the flight crew felt they were on course to make the landing. However they were a little faster than normal, due to not being able to lower the proper flight controls known as the flaps and slats. These two controls allow the airplane to fly at a lower speed. At about a hundred feet above the ground, the pilot reported that the nose dipped considerably and the right wing dropped also. Both pilots called for a reduction of power but the instructor pilot said that he needed to continue using the engine power to try and control the decent. The airplanes right wing tip was the first to touch the runway, followed by the right main landing gear. Eyewitness accounts said the airplane ignited and cart wheeled upon impact. In all 111 people died. The remaining 155 people escaped with recoverable injuries. The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) now needed to know why the accident occurred. They transported the tail section parts to a nearby hangar and began to PAGE 3 reconstruct the tail. Using wood trestles they reconstructed the tail section. Uponcompletion the puzzle was starting to piece together. The left side of the horizontal stabilizer showed no damage that could have cause the crash. (See figure 2)However, the right side was a different story. When the tail mounted engine failed, parts from it cut through the aircraft skin and severed the number 3 and number 2 hydraulic system lines. The next phase of the investigation was now focused on why the engine failed. But there was a problem. They couldn’t find the front section of the engine. It wasn’t until three months later in a cornfield in Alta, Iowa, the section was found. Alta is about 35 miles away from the crash site. Figure 1 shows the reconstructed blades. Further examination of the blades showed two things. One, there was a fatigue crack on one of the blades which went undetected at a previous maintence inspection....
