Summary:
There may be nothing scarier than sitting on an airplane with a gaping hole in the side of it- but that is exactly what happened to 336 passengers on United Flight 811 in 1989. This week on Take to the Sky: The Air Disaster Podcast, Stephanie tells the remarkable tale of how a flight crew responded to an unthinkable event that threatened the safety of everyone on board as well as how this incident permanently changed safety and design recommendations for aircraft around the world.Listen, Review, and Subscribe on:
Sources consulted for this story:
- NTSB: First Accident Report
- NTSB: Second Accident Report
- Tailstrike: CVR Transcript
- AirDisaster.com: Eyewitness Report: United Flight 811
- AP: Nine People, Including Six Americans, Killed in Air Tragedy
- UPI: The victims of Flight 811
- TulsaWorld: Flight 811 Victims Died Quickly
- New York Times: Aboard Flight 811: Passengers' Routine Dissolves Into Terror
- NewstalkZB: Survivor of 1989 United Airlines Flight 811 tells of her ordeal
- LA Times: Terror in the Air : For Many Survivors, the Fear Has Just Begun
- Star Advertiser: Hero pilot of United Flight 811 dies at age 81
- AP: Couple Aboard United Flight 811 Sues Airline, Boeing
- Air and Space Magazine: UAL 811: The untold story
- New Zealand Herald: Horror of United flight 811: Suellyn Caudwell recalls moment nine people were sucked out of plane
- Los Angeles Times: They Waited for Death, Then Deliverance! : UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 811
- Chicago Tribune: Grounded at 60
- AP: Crew Relates Horror of United Flight 811
- Seattle Times: Roots Of Tragedy -- Parents Seek Reasons For Death Of Son
Show Notes:
Stephanie shares an uplifting story about one of Machu Picchu's only tourists in 2020: a man from Japan who waited seven months to visit. Read his story and take a look at his Instagram account to see why perseverence can pay off, even during a pandemic!
Stephanie shares a story about major flight delays on her Bourbon Trail trip. She wrote a detailed account of the flight issues on her travel website.
Credits:
Written and produced by: Shelly Price and Stephanie HubkaDirected and engineered by: Crosse deStreit, Salmon Pond Studios
Sound editing by: Stephanie Hubka
Graphic design and website by: Adam Hubka
Music by: Mike Dunn
The hole in the side of the fuselage. Source: Air and Space Magazine
United Flight 811's cargo door. Source: Wikipedia
The interior of United Airlines Flight 811. Source: This Day in Aviation
The interior of United Flight 811. Source: Air and Space Magazine
