When Delta Flight 191 Crashed Into the Ground One Mile Short of the Runway: Part 1

Send us Fan MailOn August 2, 1985, a Lockheed-Martin L-1011 - Delta Flight 191 - crashed into the ground just over one mile from the runway at the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW). It was a hot afternoon in Texas and thunderstorms were beginning to percolate. However, one of these small storms was growing at the end of Runway 17L, almost directly in front of the approaching jetliner. The plane never made it to the runway, despite being less than 2 minutes from the anticipated touch-down. The resulting catastrophe was later proclaimed to be the most influential plane crash in history. What went wrong? Was the stormy weather insurmountable? Were mistakes made by the pilots? The air traffic controllers? The meteorologists? Turns out, all were involved and mistakes were made. This is Part 1 of "When Delta Flight 191 Crashed into the Ground."