Buzz
In the aftermath of a plane crash, the black box is often recovered to help unravel the events leading to the disaster. This box records all communication within the cockpit. In this piece, we present the final moments from 10 crashes, captured on these black box recordings. Some audio may be difficult to hear due to the recording method, so please listen closely. Be advised, some content may be distressing. This compilation is provided by AircrashDB.com.
10. LAPA Flight 3142
On August 31, 1999, a Boeing 737-204C, operating as LAPA Flight 3142, tragically crashed during its take-off attempt from Jorge Newbery Airport in Buenos Aires. The incident claimed 65 lives, injured 17 seriously, and left several others with minor injuries, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Argentina's history.
During the take-off attempt, a warning sounded in the cockpit, alerting the crew that the aircraft was not properly configured for flight. Despite this, the crew continued with the take-off, unaware that the flaps were fully retracted instead of set for takeoff. This mistake prevented the aircraft from becoming airborne. The plane overshot the runway, crashed through the airport fence, crossed a road, collided with a car, and struck road-construction machinery and a highway median. A fire broke out due to spilled fuel and leaking gas, completely destroying the aircraft.
9. Flying Tiger Line Flight 66
On February 19, 1989, a Boeing 747-249F, operating as Flying Tiger Flight 66, was conducting an NDB (non-directional beacon) approach to Runway 33 at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Kuala Lumpur, having departed from Singapore Changi Airport about 30 minutes earlier. During descent, the flight was cleared to 'Kayell'—a Morse code designation for 'KL', which referred to four separate locations on the ground in Malaysia. These locations were assigned different frequencies, and two of the radio beacons also used the same 'KL' code, further complicating the navigation. The crew became uncertain of which point they were cleared for.
ATC then instructed the flight, 'Tiger 66, descend to two four zero zero [2,400 ft]. Cleared for NDB approach runway three three.' The captain of Tiger 66 misheard this as 'descend to four zero zero' (meaning 400 ft above sea level, which was actually 2,000 ft too low). Subsequent alerts from the aircraft's Ground Proximity Warning System were dismissed as false alarms. Tragically, the plane crashed into a hillside 600 ft above sea level, resulting in the deaths of all four crew members. The correct ATC instruction should have been 'descend and maintain two thousand four hundred feet.'
8. Adam Air 574
On January 1, 2007, a Boeing 737-4Q8, operating as Adam Air Flight 574 (KI-574), was en route on a domestic flight from Surabaya (SUB) to Manado (MDC) in Indonesia. The aircraft tragically went down in the ocean, with only small fragments of wreckage recovered in the initial search. The flight recorders, or 'black boxes,' were located on August 28, 2007, and efforts to salvage larger wreckage pieces continued. Sadly, all 102 people aboard lost their lives.
A thorough national investigation was promptly initiated following the disaster, revealing several maintenance concerns across the airline, including numerous issues related to the aircraft. Another theory, suggested by the families of the victims, pointed to a malfunctioning rudder valve, which had previously been implicated in other accidents involving Boeing 737 aircraft. The debris pattern indicated that the plane likely impacted the ocean while still intact. The final investigation report, published on March 25, 2008, concluded that the pilots lost control after becoming distracted while troubleshooting the inertial reference system, inadvertently disconnecting the autopilot. Official Crash Report.
7. VASP Flight 168
On June 8, 1982, a Boeing 727-212A, operating as VASP Flight 168, was on a scheduled passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Fortaleza. The flight began its journey from Rio, heading towards Fortaleza. As the aircraft neared its destination, it was cleared to descend from a cruising altitude of FL330 (approximately 33,000 feet) to 5,000 feet. During the night flight, with the city lights of Fortaleza ahead, the Boeing 727 continued its descent beyond the 5,000-foot clearance limit, eventually crashing into a mountainside at 2,500 feet. Tragically, all 137 passengers and crew members perished.
The investigation revealed that the captain, potentially disoriented by the bright lights of the city, continued the descent well past the 5,000-foot clearance limit, despite receiving two warnings from the altitude alert system and a caution from the co-pilot about the terrain ahead. As the aircraft continued to descend, it struck a wooded mountainside at 2,500 feet and crashed.
6. Air Florida Flight 90
On January 13, 1982, a Boeing 737, operating as Air Florida Flight 90, was en route on a domestic U.S. passenger flight from Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., to Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a stopover at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida. The plane tragically crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River, resulting in the deaths of all passengers except for four and a single flight attendant.
The aircraft was carrying 74 passengers and five crew members when it crashed during a failed takeoff attempt. The impact with the 14th Street Bridge, which spans Interstate Highway 395 between Washington, D.C., and Arlington County, Virginia, crushed seven vehicles on the bridge and destroyed 97 feet (30 m) of guard rail before the plane fell through the ice into the Potomac River. The crash site was less than two miles (3 km) from the White House and within sight of both the Jefferson Memorial and The Pentagon.
5. Delta Airlines Flight 191
On August 2, 1985, a Lockheed L-1011-385-1 TriStar, operating as Delta Airlines Flight 191, crashed while attempting a routine approach to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The accident claimed the lives of 8 out of 11 crew members, 126 of the 152 passengers, and one person on the ground, bringing the total death toll to 135. This crash is one of the few commercial aviation disasters directly caused by microburst-induced wind shear.
4. Northwest Airlines Flight 255
On August 16, 1987, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 255, tragically crashed after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. All passengers and crew members were killed except for a 4-year-old girl, Cecelia Cichan, who sustained serious injuries. Flight 255 began its takeoff roll on Runway 3C at approximately 8:45 PM EDT, with Captain Maus at the controls. The aircraft reached 170 knots (195 mph) during the roll and soon began to roll side to side at a height of just under 50 feet. The plane entered a stall mode, rolling 40 degrees to the left, striking a light pole near the runway's end, severing 18 feet of its left wing, and igniting fuel. It then rolled 90 degrees to the right, tearing through the roof of an Avis rental car building. The uncontrolled aircraft crashed inverted onto Middlebelt Road, striking vehicles just north of the Wick Rd. intersection. It then broke apart and erupted into flames upon hitting a railroad overpass and the eastbound Interstate 94 overpass.
3. Delta Airlines Flight 1141
On August 31, 1988, a Boeing 727, operating as Delta Air Lines Flight 1141, was a commercial flight departing from Jackson, Mississippi, to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and onwards to Salt Lake City International Airport. The aircraft crashed after taking off from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.
The crash claimed the lives of two cabin crew members (out of four) and twelve passengers, totaling 14 deaths. One passenger, seated in 29C, who had exited the aircraft through a break in the left fuselage, attempted to re-enter and sustained burns, ultimately dying 11 days later. FAA regulations require a sterile cockpit before takeoff, meaning only flight-related conversations are allowed. However, CVR recordings revealed extensive discussions about the CVR itself and, notably, crew talks about the dating habits of flight attendants during Continental Airlines Flight 1713.
2. Japan Airlines Flight 123
On August 12, 1985, Japan Airlines Flight 123, a Boeing 747-SR46, was a domestic flight from Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) to Osaka International Airport (Itami). Just 12 minutes into the flight, the aircraft experienced mechanical issues. 32 minutes later, it crashed into two ridges of Mount Takamagahara in Ueno, Gunma Prefecture, approximately 100 kilometers from Tokyo. The crash site was on Osutaka Ridge, near Mount Osutaka. Tragically, all 15 crew members and 505 out of 509 passengers perished, leaving only 4 survivors. The official investigation by Japan’s Aircraft Accidents Investigation Commission concluded the cause of the crash as follows:
On June 2, 1978, the aircraft had experienced a tailstrike incident at Osaka International Airport, which resulted in damage to its rear pressure bulkhead.
The repair carried out on the bulkhead did not follow Boeing's approved procedures. Boeing technicians used two separate doubler plates, one with two rows of rivets and another with just one row, instead of a continuous doubler plate with three rows of rivets to reinforce the damaged bulkhead. This modification reduced the part’s resistance to metal fatigue by 70%. According to the FAA, the incorrectly installed plate (also called a 'splice plate') was cut into two pieces parallel to the stress crack it was meant to reinforce, which made it ineffective. Boeing later calculated that this improper installation would fail after approximately 10,000 pressurizations, yet the aircraft completed 12,318 take-offs before the final accident.
When the bulkhead eventually gave way, the resulting explosive decompression ruptured all four hydraulic systems. With the flight controls now disabled, the aircraft became uncontrollable.
1. United Airlines Flight 232
On July 19, 1989, United Airlines Flight 232, operating a Douglas DC-10, was a scheduled flight from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. During the flight, the aircraft experienced an uncontained failure of its number 2 engine. The force of the engine failure launched shrapnel that penetrated the hydraulic lines of all three of the aircraft's hydraulic systems. As a result, hydraulic fluid rapidly leaked from the systems, leaving the crew unable to manipulate the flight control surfaces. The only remaining working controls were the thrust levers for the two remaining engines, allowing the crew to manage limited control using only thrust modulation (symmetric thrust for pitch and differential thrust for yaw/roll). The plane was forced to attempt an emergency landing in Sioux City, Iowa. Upon landing, the aircraft broke apart, resulting in the deaths of 111 passengers out of 285, and one of the 11 crew members.
