TWA Flight 843

TWA Flight 843 (TW843, TWA843) was a Trans World Airlines passenger flight that crashed after an aborted takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York) to San Francisco International Airport (California) in July 1992. Despite an intense fire after the crash, the crew was able to evacuate all 280 passengers from the aircraft. There was no loss of life, though the aircraft was destroyed by the fire.

TWA Flight 843
N11002, the aircraft involved, seen at Los Angeles International Airport in January 1991
Accident
DateJuly 30, 1992
SummaryAborted takeoff due to pilot error and instrument malfunction; Maintenance error[1]
SiteJohn F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York, United States
Aircraft
Aircraft typeLockheed L-1011 TriStar
OperatorTrans World Airlines
RegistrationN11002[2]
Flight originJohn F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York, United States
DestinationSan Francisco Airport, San Francisco, California, United States
Occupants292
Passengers280
Crew12
Fatalities0
Injuries10
Survivors292

The NTSB attributed the crash to pilot error and TWA training and maintenance issues.[1] According to the report, the take-off was improperly aborted by the co-pilot shortly after liftoff, due to the erroneous activation of the stick-shaker stall warning device, when in fact the aircraft was performing normally and could have taken off safely. The extremely hard landing, after the plane gained only 16 feet (4.9 m) in altitude, caused damage to the right wing, spilling fuel that was then ingested into the engines and started the fire.[1]

In addition to the nine flight attendants on board, there were five additional off-duty flight attendants who assisted in the evacuation. Although only three of eight exit doors were available for use, the evacuation was completed within two minutes.[1]

Oakland rapper Saafir was a passenger on the plane and injured his back while jumping to the ground.[3]

N11002 had previously been involved in another incident. Flying as TWA Flight 37 on November 26, 1975, it came to within 100 feet of colliding with a DC-10 flying as American Airlines Flight 182 while cruising at 35,000 feet due to erroneous assumptions of a Cleveland ARTCC controller who thought N11002 had ascended to its assigned altitude of 37,000 feet. The quick actions of the Captain flying the DC-10 prevented the collision as he put the plane into a sharp dive injuring passengers and flight attendants who were serving dinner. The flight crew of N11002 were unaware of the proximity of the 2 planes until they were told on arrival at LAX. There were a combined 309 passengers and crew aboard both flights.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Aircraft Accident Report, Aborted Takeoff Shortly After Liftoff, Trans World Airlines Flight 843, Lockheed L-1011, N11002, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, New York, July 30, 1992" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. March 31, 1993.
  2. "FAA Registry (N11002)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  3. D, Davy. "Shock G of Digital Underground Explains Why Saafir is Bound to a Wheelchair". Word Press.
  4. https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7603.pdf

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