Turkish Airlines Flight 981 facts for kids
Turkish Airlines Flight 981 was a regular flight from Istanbul, Turkey, to London. It also made a stop in Paris, France. The plane was a McDonnell Douglas DC-10.
On March 3, 1974, the plane crashed into the Ermenonville Forest in France. This happened shortly after it took off from Paris. All 346 people on board died in the accident.
A study after the crash found out what happened. One of the cargo doors at the back of the plane was not closed tightly. After takeoff, part of this door broke off. This caused a sudden burst of air in the back of the plane. This burst also damaged the wires needed to fly the plane. Because of this, the pilots could not fully control the plane anymore.
Earlier Plane Problem
About two years before, an American Airlines DC-10 had a similar problem. In that case, the pilots were able to land the plane safely. On the ground, they found that the back cargo door had opened during the flight. This damaged the body of the plane. However, it did not cause the same sudden burst of air as with Turkish Flight 981.
The two planes were also built a bit differently. Turkish Flight 981 had three extra rows of seats. These seats were above the baggage area. This added more weight to the floor of the plane. When the cargo door burst open, these extra seats and passengers were pulled out of the plane before it crashed.
Both planes had a sudden loss of air pressure when the cargo door locks failed. But Turkish Flight 981 had more damage. This extra damage might have made it impossible to control the plane in the air.
Because of these problems, a safety rule was quickly made. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US issued this rule. It said that the floor of the cargo area and the control wires needed to be made stronger. It also asked for better electric wires for the cargo door.
The Plane Crash
After the plane took off, it reached a height of about 3,350 meters (11,000 feet). At that moment, the back cargo door burst open. The flight was over a town called Coulommiers, France at the time.
A very fast loss of air pressure happened. This caused the last two rows of seats to be pulled out through a large hole in the plane. The plane stayed in the air for another 90 seconds. During this time, the pilots tried hard to get control back.
The plane hit the ground at about 800 kilometers per hour (500 mph). All 346 people on board died. The plane almost completely broke into many pieces.
Images for kids
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The back of the plane that crashed. The cargo door that burst open is partly seen above the wing. It is below and in front of the passenger door.
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See also
In Spanish: Vuelo 981 de Turkish Airlines para niños
