Today
20
in History
26
01
Fri
02
Sat
03
Sun
04
Mon
05
Tue
06
Wed
07
Thu
08
Fri
09
Sat
10
Sun
11
Mon
12
Tue
13
Wed
14
Thu
15
Fri
16
Sat
17
Sun
18
Mon
19
Tue
20
Wed
21
Thu
22
Fri
23
Sat
24
Sun
25
Mon
26
Tue
27
Wed
28
Thu
29
Fri
30
Sat
31
Sun
...
05-26-1991
Plane crashes in Thai jungle
On May 26, 1991, a Boeing 767 crashes into the jungle near Bangkok, Thailand, and kills all 223 people on board. The plane was owned and operated by the Austrian company Lauda-Air was the nation’s largest charter operation and famed race car driver Niki Lauda’s first foray into business after his retirement from racing. The flight originated in Hong Kong and was ultimately headed to Vienna. After a brief stop in Bangkok, the plane was climbing out of Bangkok Airport when a computer malfunctioned. The thrust reverser on the port engine, which essentially puts the engine in reverse, deployed suddenly. Though pilots fought to override it, they were not able to do so. Just 16 minutes after takeoff, the plane was sent plunging into the Thailand jungle 100 miles north of Bangkok. The 203 passengers and 20 crew members on board all died on impact. The plane’s black box was destroyed, making the cause of the crash difficult to determine. Niki Lauda immediately went to the site of the crash, where it was reported that he personally went through the strewn bodies and aircraft parts searching for evidence. Eventually, the mechanical evidence and a voice recorder pointed to a serious problem with the jet’s thrust reverser. Boeing was forced to recall and modify the 767’s thrust reversing system at the conclusion of the official investigation.
More news today