Delta Air Lines Flight 191 was a scheduled passenger flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Los Angeles, California, with a stopover in Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
The Accident
- Date: August 2, 1985
- Aircraft: Lockheed L-1011 TriStar (tail number N726DA)
- Location: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas
- Fatalities: 137 people (128 passengers/crew, 1 motorist on the ground)
- Survivors: 27
As the flight was on final approach to DFW’s Runway 17L, it encountered a microburst—a powerful downdraft associated with a thunderstorm. The sudden wind shear caused the aircraft to lose lift and slam into the ground short of the runway.
The TriStar first struck a car on a nearby highway, killing the driver, then broke apart as it collided with two large water tanks and burst into flames.
Aftermath & Significance
The crash of Delta Flight 191 became a turning point in aviation safety:
- It highlighted the extreme danger of microbursts and wind shear.
- The accident prompted the FAA, NASA, and airlines to develop improved pilot training, wind shear detection systems, and Doppler weather radar.
- Onboard technology such as the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) and predictive wind shear detection were later mandated, greatly reducing the risk of similar accidents.
Today, Flight 191 is remembered as one of the deadliest U.S. aviation accidents of the 1980s, but also as a catalyst for major safety improvements.
Would you like me to also make a visual diagram of the crash sequence so it’s easier to understand what happened?
