On this day in 1989, a United Airlines Boeing 747-100, flight 811, took off from Honolulu International Airport en route to Auckland International Airport then onward to Sydney, Australia. 16 minutes after takeoff, about 60 miles south of Honolulu, the 747's cargo door exploded outward with decompression blowing a huge hole in the fuselage and carrying away ten seats and nine passengers. Every flight attendant suffered some injury. Further plane damage resulted in the loss of some controls yet the plane landed safely back in Honolulu. The cause of the cargo door failure was determined to be a faulty design, combined with a short in the 747’s electrical system.
No comments:
Post a Comment