5 of the Deadliest Plane Crashes To Ever Happen in Texas
Since man has been given the gift of flying, Texas has seen its share of horrible tragedies involving airplanes. While they don't occur very often, they HAVE happened before; and here are of the deadliest to occur in history.
Delta Airlines Flight 1141 [August 31, 1988]
Orginally scheduled from Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas to Salt Lake City, Utah, Delta Airlines Flight 1141 crashed on take off to incorrect takeoff configuration. Out of 108 people on board, 14 were killed & 76 people were injured. The cause of plane crash was due to pilot error according to the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board).
Continental Express Flight 2574 [September 11, 1991]
Continental Express Flight 2574 was a domestic flight that was en route from Laredo, Texas to Houston, Texas. The plane experienced an in-flight structural breakup over Eagle Pass, Texas. The plane crashed into a field, killing all 14 people on board.
American Airlines Flight 157 [November 29, 1949]
The first major plane crash to occur in Texas happened over Dallas, Texas; American Airlines Flight 157 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York and was heading for Mexico City with a layover in Washington DC & Dallas' Love Field. When attempting to take off from Dallas, one of the engines failed causing the plane to slide off the runway, causing its left wing to crash into a hanger, its right wing tore through the Dallas Aviation School before striking the ground, causing the plane to break into several pieces.
28 people died & 18 survived.
Braniff Flight 352 [May 3, 1968]
At the time this WAS considered the worst plane crash in Texas; Braniff Flight 352 crashes in Dawson, Texas after it left Houston and was en route to Dallas. All 85 people were killed on this crash. Believe it or not, the cause of the plane wouldn't have been solved without the help of a local recording studio from Dallas, Texas.
Delta Airlines Flight 191 [August 2, 1985]
At the time of this writing, Delta Airlines Flight 191 remains the single worst plane disaster to occur in Texas. After leaving Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Flight 191 was heading for Los Angeles with a stop at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The rain played a huge factor in the accident; the crew flew into an intense rainstorm & experienced, what scientists know now is called, a microburst.
The microburst caused the plane to plunge towards the ground; the plane struck a car near the airport, collided with two water tanks and burst into flames. In total 136 people died on the plane; with the passenger in the car that was hit also perishing. However... 27 people managed to survive.
2022 Dallas Air Show Mid-Air Collision [November 12, 2022]
The most recent incident on this list is considered the worst air show disaster in Texas; at the Wings Over Dallas airshow, a B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided over the Dallas Executive Airport. Because of the amount of people filming the event, many videos of the incident made it online.
The one thing to take away from this is that, while plane crashes DO happen, they are extremely rare. You're still safer flying in an airplane than you are driving your car around town every day.
R.I.P. to everyone who was a victim or affected by all of these tragedies...
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Gallery Credit: Daniel Paulus