Worst Airplane Crashes That Changed How They Design Planes

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Worst Airplane Crashes That Changed How They Design Planes

By Monica Gray - October 7, 2023

Avianca Flight 52 (1990)

As we all know, fuel management is important in aircraft. This is why the major Boeing 707 crash resulted in a necessary improvement in communication and fuel management procedures. As the flight approached JFK airport, en route from Medellin, Colombia, it crashed, killing 73 people out of 158 people. The plane ran out of fuel, and the mismatch in communication between the captain and copilot caused this fatal crash which made engineers rethink how they design planes and carry out fuel measurements (Lingoblog).

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Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (1996)

Because of the Boeing 747 explosion in 1996, it forced engineers to redesign airplane fuel tanks. At first, people believed it was a terrorist attack, but it ended up being a horrible mechanical failure. It happened only minutes after departing JFK. It was on its way to Paris, and exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, just near Long Island. Everyone on the flight died. According to aviation’s managing director, “The investigation of the crash of T.W.A. Flight 800 is a seminal moment in aviation safety history. From that investigation, we issued safety recommendations that fundamentally changed the way aircraft are designed.” (History).

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Air New Zealand Flight 901 (1979)

DC-10 crash into Mount Erebus in Antarctica resulted in changes to flight navigation and training. This was the worst crash in aviation history. It crashed on the lower slopes of Mt. Erebus. All 237 passengers died, and not one survived. The plane originally departed on a sightseeing tour of Antarctica. Investigators assumed the main cause of the crash was due to changes in the flight plan, and the management computer which was not on properly (NZ History).

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Delta Air Lines Flight 191 (1985)

When this Lockheed L-1011 crashed, it led to major changes in weather-related flight procedures to prevent something as detrimental as this crash in 1985. A microburst in a thunderstorm caused the plane to come crashing down from the sky, while it attempted to land. After this crash, it forced the FAA to require all commercial flights to detect low-level wind shear (Fox Weather).

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