United Airlines Flight 232 - Crash Animation 2

United Airlines Flight 232, a DC-10 was a flight between Denver and Philadelphia with a stopover in Chicago on July 19, 1989 with 296 passengers and crew on board. The aircraft had been operating since 1973 and had been in the air for over 43,000 hours.

The Crash:
The flight had departed Denver at 2:09pm and was bound for Chicago. At 3:16pm, the flight was making a right turn at its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet, when the tail mounted engine exploded. Debris struck the horizontal stabiliser, which damaged the three hydraulic lines. The airplane then went through a phugoid cycle, but this was stabilised due to rough steering adjustments. The pilots attempted to control the aircraft and tried to land it at Sioux Gateway Airport. They planned to land at runway 31 but changed to the shorter 22. The aircraft was going about 80 knots faster than the safe landing speed. The jet's right wing impacted the ground and damaged the fuel tank igniting the jet in flames. The plane then broke up and flipped over. 111 people died in the crash landing with 185 still surviving. The engine explosion was caused by faulty titanium alloy that was used while repairing the aircraft.

All video clips are from Seconds from Disaster: Crash Landing at Sioux City (S02E07)

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