Lauda Air Flight 004 facts for kids
Lauda Air Flight 004 was a passenger plane that crashed on May 26, 1991. It was flying from Hong Kong to Vienna, Austria, with a stop in Bangkok, Thailand. The plane, a Boeing 767, broke apart in the air over the border between Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. Sadly, all 223 people on board, including passengers and crew, died in the accident.
Contents
What Happened to Flight 004?
Flight 004 took off from Bangkok on its way to Vienna. About 16 minutes after leaving the airport, the pilots received a warning. It said that the "thrust reverser" on one of the engines was not working correctly. A thrust reverser helps slow down an airplane after it lands. It should not activate during flight.
The plane was flying at a high altitude, about 24,700 feet (7,500 meters). Suddenly, the thrust reverser on the left engine (engine number one) activated. This caused the plane to lose control very quickly. The aircraft broke apart in the sky.
The Investigation and Cause
Investigators from Thailand and Austria worked together to find out why the plane crashed. They found parts of the plane scattered over a wide area in a jungle. The flight recorders, which are like black boxes, were also found. These recorders help tell investigators what happened during the flight.
After a long investigation, it was determined that the crash was caused by the unexpected activation of the thrust reverser. This was a very rare event for a Boeing 767. Boeing, the company that made the plane, later changed the design of the thrust reverser system. This was done to make sure such an event would not happen again.
Niki Lauda, the owner of Lauda Air and a famous former race car driver, traveled to Thailand to help with the investigation. He was very involved in understanding what went wrong.
Who Was On Board?
There were 223 people on Lauda Air Flight 004. This included 213 passengers and 10 crew members. People from many different countries were on the plane. The table below shows the nationalities of those who died.
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Australia |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Austria |
74 | 9 | 83 |
 Belgium |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Bolivia |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Brazil |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Canada |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 China |
6 | 0 | 6 |
 Croatia |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Denmark |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Dominican Republic |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 France |
5 | 0 | 5 |
 Germany |
4 | 0 | 4 |
 Hong Kong |
52 | 0 | 52 |
 Hungary |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 India |
8 | 0 | 8 |
 Ireland |
3 | 0 | 3 |
 Israel |
4 | 0 | 4 |
 Italy |
10 | 0 | 10 |
 Jamaica |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Japan |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Mexico |
7 | 0 | 7 |
 Netherlands |
3 | 0 | 3 |
 Norway |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 New Zealand |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Philippines |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Poland |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Portugal |
3 | 0 | 3 |
 Russia |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 South Africa |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Spain |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Sweden |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Switzerland |
7 | 0 | 7 |
 Taiwan |
3 | 0 | 3 |
 Thailand |
39 | 0 | 39 |
 Trinidad and Tobago |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Turkey |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 United Kingdom |
2 | 0 | 2 |
 United States |
2 | 1 | 3 |
 Yugoslavia |
3 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 213 | 10 | 223 |
Images for kids
-
Niki Lauda travelled to Thailand to assist in the investigation
See also
In Spanish: Vuelo 004 de Lauda Air para niños
